Transrapid
[3][4] The super-speed Transrapid maglev system has no wheels, no axles, no gear transmissions, no steel rails, and no overhead electrical pantographs.
During levitation and travelling operation, the Transrapid maglev vehicle floats on a frictionless magnetic cushion with no mechanical contact whatsoever with the track guideway.
The Transrapid maglev vehicle requires less power to hover than it needs to run its on-board air conditioning equipment.
At vehicle speeds above 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph), all on-board power was supplied by recovered harmonic oscillation of the magnetic fields created from the track's linear stator.
The electromagnets in the maglev vehicle which lift it also work as the equivalent of the excitation portion (rotor) of this linear electric motor.
The normal energy consumption of the Transrapid is approximately 50 to 100 kilowatts (67 to 134 hp) per section for levitation and travel, and vehicle control.
The aerodynamic drag of the vehicle, which has a frontal cross section of 16 m2 (172 sq ft),[citation needed] requires a power consumption, at 400 km/h (249 mph) or 111 m/s (364 ft/s) cruising speed, given by the following formula:
Compared to classical railway lines, Transrapid allows higher speeds and gradients with less weathering and lower energy consumption and maintenance needs.
The Transrapid track is more flexible, and more easily adapted to specific geographical circumstances than a classical train system.
The Transrapid is an electrically driven, clean, high-speed, high-capacity[citation needed] means of transport able to build up point-to-point passenger connections in geographically challenged surroundings.
The reduced expense, noise and vibration of a people-only Transrapid system versus a cargo train track is not directly comparable.
The fully elevated Shanghai Maglev was built at a cost of US$1.33 billion over a length of 30.5 kilometres (19.0 mi) including trains and stations.
In comparison, the 47 kilometres (29 mi) Regional Rail Link built in Victoria cost around A$5 billion, or A$105 million per kilometer, including two stations.
The ability of the Transrapid system to handle tighter turns and steeper gradients could heavily influence a cost comparison for a particular project.
However, each Transrapid train set is more than twice as efficient due to their faster operating speed and acceleration according to UK Ultraspeed.
[6] The only commercial implementation so far was in 2000, when the Chinese government ordered a Transrapid track to be built connecting Shanghai to its Pudong International Airport.
Originally planned to be ready for Expo 2010, final approval was granted on 18 August 2008, and construction was scheduled to start in 2010 for completion in 2014.
The agreement was signed at the Mashhad International Fair site between Iranian Ministry of Roads and Transportation and the German company.
[citation needed] Munich-based Schlegel Consulting Engineers said they had signed the contract with the Iranian ministry of transport and the governor of Mashad.
[12][13] Transrapid is one of a number of companies seeking to build a 120 mi (190 km) high speed transit system parallel to the I-70 Interstate in the US state of Colorado.
[15] The California–Nevada Interstate Maglev project is a proposed 269 mi (433 km) line from Las Vegas, Nevada to Anaheim, California.
It would connect the island capital Santa Cruz in the north with Costa Adeje in the south and Los Realejos in the northwest with a maximum speed of 270 km/h (169 mph).
In this competition, the Transrapid primarily competed with the InterCityExpress (ICE), a high-speed rail system based on "traditional" railway technology.
The connection between the train station and airport was close to being built, but was cancelled on 27 March 2008 by the German government, due to a massive overrun in costs.
Prior to the cancellation, the governing party, the Christian Social Union of Bavaria (CSU), faced internal and local resistance, in particular from communities along the proposed route.
[22] On 22 September 2006, a Transrapid train collided with a maintenance vehicle at 170 km/h (106 mph) on the test track in Lathen, Germany.
The maintenance vehicle destroyed the first section of the train, then lifted off the track to complete two full rotations before landing in a pile of pre-exploded debris.
[24] The accident was caused by human error with the first train being allowed to leave the station before the maintenance vehicle had moved off the track.
Deutsche Welle reported that the China Daily had quoted the State Council encouraging engineers to "learn and absorb foreign advanced technologies while making further innovations."
The China Aviation Industry Corporation has said the new Chinese "Zhui Feng" maglev train is not dependent on foreign technology.
