International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Technology (IJMET)

Volume 9, Issue 5, May 2018, pp. 7–13, Article ID: IJMET_09_05_002

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ISSN Print: 0976-6340 and ISSN Online: 0976-6359

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MAGNETIC LEVITATION TRAINS – THE

UNFULFILLED PROMISE
Sourav Mohanty
Research Scholar, School of Management, KIIT University

ABSTRACT
Magnetic levitation or maglev is a well-established technology. Applications range
from advertising displays to the Active Magnetic Bearings used in wind turbines. The
technology has however failed to deliver on its promise of high speed trains to
revolutionize rail transportation. One maglev line each is operating in Japan, China
and Korea, the longest being the 30 km Shanghai line. The ambitious Tokyo Nagoya
286 km line to be completed in 2027 and the feasibility study for a maglev line
between Washington DC and Baltimore are the promising new developments. The new
Hyperloop transportation concept also uses maglev. The paper outlines the
technology used in magnetic levitation trains. The work done in Japan for the Tokyo
Nagoya project has established that the basic maglev principles remain valid. New
materials have helped make maglev trains lighter and faster. The major drawback for
maglev trains has been high costs compared to conventional high speed rail. The
ambitious UK Ultraspeed project for an 800 km maglev line connecting London and
Glasgow was abandoned in 2007. The Tokyo Nagoya line is under criticism for its
cost estimated to be $ 49 billion. Maglev technology needs at least one commercially
viable demonstration project such as the Washington DC – Baltimore line to become
more widely acceptable.
Keywords: Magnetic levitation, Maglev trains, Maglev
Cite this Article: Sourav Mohanty, Magnetic Levitation Trains – The Unfulfilled
Promise, International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Technology, 9(5),
2018, pp. 7–13.
http://iaeme.com/Home/issue/IJMET?Volume=9&Issue=5

1. INTRODUCTION
Magnetic levitation or ‘maglev’ uses magnetic fields to counter gravity to suspend an object
in air. Maglev has been widely used in simple applications such as toys and advertising signs.
A significant engineering application is in Active Magnetic Bearings which have replaced
mechanical bearings, for example in wind turbines to reduce friction. Maglev technology
holds the promise of developing magnetic levitation trains that could run at speeds of 500
kmph through elimination of friction between the rails and carriage wheels (Yaghoubi, 2013).
This promise has remained unfulfilled in the last 50 years.

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 Sourav Mohanty

The world’s first maglev train was a short 600 metre line at the Birmingham airport in
UK. This line started in 1984 and was discontinued in 1996. The Berlin M-Bahn was started
in 1989 but was discontinued after the unification of the city (Goodall, 2012). Neither country
chose to build another maglev line after these first projects. There are only three functional
maglev train systems in the world. The 10 km Linimo line in Japan, the 30 km Shanghai
Transrapid in China and the 6 km line at the Incheon airport in Korea (Hower, 2016). These
operating maglev trains are the demonstration projects that have helped establish the
technology. The Tokyo Nagoya 286 km line is under construction indicates a revival of
interest in maglev technology. Several proposals have been made for maglev projects in the
US. The new Hydroloop transportation system also uses maglev.

PROBLEM STATEMENT
Maglev technology has not delivered on its promise of transformational change in the field of
high speed rail transportation. Maglev projects proposed in several countries have been
abandoned in favour of conventional high speed rail projects, primarily due to costs.

OBJECTIVES
1. The primary objective of this paper is to review the present status of maglev
technology, especially in the context of the new Tokyo Nagoya line. The paper
examines the changes in the technology in the 30 years since the first lines were built.
2. The secondary objective is to discuss the problem of high cost that has prevented
wider adoption of this technology and to examine if any of the changes in technology
promise lower costs.

Scope and Relevance

In general, in new technologies such as magnetic levitation, continuous research and studies
bring about major advancements in functionality and lower costs. This paper examines if
maglev technology has seen any substantial advancements in the past 30 years. The Tokyo
Nagoya project authorities have done a number of studies to revalidate the technology. A
review of the maglev technology being applied to this line will be a good indicator of the
progress made in this field. Such a review also helps evaluate if the advances made promise a
solution to the problem of high costs that have impeded the growth of maglev train
transportation.

2. LITERATURE REVIEW
Fundamentals of Maglev Trains
The fundamental concept of a magnetic levitation train is shown in Fig-1. The three essential
requirements are to lift or levitate the carriage, maintain its horizontal position through lateral
guidance and then to propel it forward. These functions are achieved through three sets of
metallic loops of aluminum embedded into the concrete guideway (Khan et al, 2017)

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 Magnetic Levitation Trains – The Unfulfilled Promise

The first set of metallic hoops is the electromagnet that repels the magnets mounted on the
train car and causes it to hover above the guide way. The second set of metallic hoops creates
a repulsion magnetic field that keeps the train horizontally stable. The third set of metallic
loops is supplied with alternating current and functions as a linear motor. The position of the
train above the guideway is continuously monitored through sensors and the current flow
through the three sets of coils is regulated to maintain vertical and horizontal stability of the
car and the propulsion energy (Khan et al, 2017).

Figure 1 Maglev Train Fundamentals (Khan et al, 2017)

The Tokyo and Nagoya maglev line uses the same concept as described above. The coils
of the superconducting magnets are made of a Niobium-titanium alloy. The coils are cooled
with liquid helium to a temperature of -2690C. The propulsion coil on the guideway behaves
as a linear motor. Prototype train cars have been built from composite materials and tested to
speeds up to 603 kmph. The prototypes have also been evaluated for vibrations and ride
quality and suspension dampeners have been introduced (CJR Review, 2017).

3. THE SUSPENSION SYSTEM

Three types of suspension systems are used for the magnetic levitation of train carriages as
shown in Fig- 2. The Electrodynamic Suspension (EDS) system uses the repulsion force
between electromagnets of the same polarity mounted on the train carriage and the guideway.
Rubber wheels are fitted to support the maglev train until it reaches the lift-off speed of
around 100 kmph (Propel Steps, 2015)

Figure 2 Maglev Train Suspension Systems (Propel Steps, 2015)

The electromagnets used for levitation are super conducting and are cooled by a cryogenic
system mounted on the train car. Passengers need to be shielded from the high intensity
magnetic fields. The EDS suspension system has been used in the Japanese Linimo Maglev
line and will also be used in the Tokyo Nagoya line (Cassat & Borquin, 2011). In contrast,

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 Sourav Mohanty

the Electromagnetic Suspension (EMS) system uses the attraction force between unlike poles
of the electromagnets. The train undercarriage wraps around the guideway as shown in Fig 2.
These electromagnets do not require cryogenic cooling and passengers do not need to be
shielded. A back-up battery fitted in the train car maintains power supply to the levitation
electromagnets if there is a power interruption. The EMS system has been used in the
Shanghai maglev line (Cassat & Borquin, 2011). The Inductrack is similar to the EDS
except that permanent magnets at room temperature are used for levitation. The permanent
magnets are made of neodymium-iron-boron alloy and are arranged in a Halbach array. This
arrangement increases the magnetic field on one side and reduces the field on the other side to
near zero levels. The track consists of metallic loops and induced current in them creates a
repulsion magnetic field for levitation. The Inductrack is still to be applied to a working
maglev line (Goodall, 2012).

Superconducting Magnets
Low temperature superconductive coils are used on the Japanese maglev systems, both
Linimo and the new Tokyo –Nagoya line, operating at the liquid helium temperature of 4.2 0
K. These coils provide the DC excitation for the propulsion motor and the flux sources for
levitation and guidance (Cassat & Borquin, 2011). The Chinese Transrapid system uses high
temperature superconducting magnets that operate at 77 0 K which is the liquid nitrogen
temperature. This results in a decrease in the mass of the superconducting magnet and lower
energy consumption in the on-board cryo-cooler (Cassat & Borquin, 2011).

4. THE MAGLEV TRAIN CAR

The cross-section of a typical maglev train car with EDS suspension is shown in Fig 3. The
base frame carries the levitation, the guidance and the propulsion coils. A radiation shield is
fitted between the base frame and the passenger compartment (Ramireddy, 2012).

Figure 3 Maglev Train Car Construction (Ramireddy, 2012)

The electromagnets are cooled by two separate cooling systems mounted in the train car,
one with liquid helium and the other with liquid nitrogen (Ramireddy, 2012).

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 Magnetic Levitation Trains – The Unfulfilled Promise

The Guideway
The cross-section of the guideway for the maglev train is shown in Fig 4. Reinforced concrete
is used for forming the guideway which is supported on concrete piers with foundations. The
coils for propulsion, levitation and guidance are placed in the side beams (Ramireddy, 2012)

Figure 4 Maglev guideway (Ramireddy, 2012)

The maglev train can also be designed with gas or liquid fuel engine for propulsion with
magnetic levitation being used only for reducing friction losses in the system. Such a system
could be helpful for long distance trains in developing countries with inadequate electric
supply systems (Ramireddy, 2012).

The High Cost of Maglev Trains

The promise of maglev technology for high speed rail transport has remained unfulfilled due
to its high costs compared to conventional rail technologies. The Tokyo Nagoya maglev line
is presently estimated to cost around $ 49 billion (Harding, 2017).

The UK Ultra speed Project

In 2005, a consortium led by Transrapid with Siemens and Thyssen Krupp as partners
proposed to build an 800 km maglev line between London and Glasgow. The Ultraspeed
consortium estimated the construction costs to be £ 20 million to £ 24.75 million per km. In
2007, the UK government chose conventional high speed rail over maglev (Revolvy, 2007).

The Washington DC – Baltimore Project

In the US, a proposal to build a maglev line between Washington DC and Baltimore is being
currently evaluated. The 35 mile rail line is estimated to cost between $ 10 billion and $ 15
billion. A maglev line would reduce travel time between the two cities to 15 minutes and
reduce automobile traffic and the corresponding greenhouse gas emissions (Boehm, 2017).
This cost is already considered too high by critics of the project who argue that the money
could be better spent in resurfacing 12,000 miles of Maryland roads (Boehm, 2017). A
favourable outcome in a US project is important to spur the usage of maglev technology in the
US, the UK and other parts of the world.

5. FUTURE IMPLICATIONS OF MAGLEV TECHNOLOGY

The Hyper loop using Maglev Capsules
The Hyper loop is the proposed new transportation system which consists of pressurized
capsules that will be magnetically levitated and moved at speeds up to 1,200 kmph through
low pressure tubes to reduce air resistance. The concept is shown in Fig-5 (Marksman,
2015).

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 Sourav Mohanty

Figure 5 The Hyperloop with Maglev Capsules (Marksman, 2015)

The use of the evacuated tube will reduce air resistance and permit faster speeds. Elon
Musk, the promoter of the concept, has argued that supporting such tubes on pylons would be
cheaper than building maglev guide ways. He claims that the Los Angeles – San Francisco
Hyperloop could be built for around $ 6 billion (Marksman, 2015). The Hyperloop concept
could be a major boost to maglev technology.

Favorable outcome for the Washington DC- Baltimore Maglev Decision

A favourable outcome on the Washington DC-Baltimore maglev line would be a major boost
for the wider adoption of maglev trains around the world. Other governments would become
more open minded about the technology and this can spur a worldwide movement to shift to
this mode of high speed rail transport.

Maglev in a Developing Country such as India

India has one of the largest railway networks in the world which is extensively used both for
passenger traffic and goods transport. The network is in urgent need of renovation and
upgradation and maglev technology can offer India the opportunity to leapfrog intermediate
technologies and transition to a modern and efficient transport system. This applies also to the
African continent and other developing regions around the world.

6. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

Magnetic levitation technology has failed to deliver on its promise of transformation in rail
transportation. The countries where the first maglev lines were built including the UK,
Germany, Japan, China and Korea did not follow up with a second line. That picture is set to
change with the construction of the 286 km Tokyo Nagoya line planned to be completed in
2027. In the US, feasibility studies have begun on a 35 mile Baltimore – Washington DC line.
The new transportation concept of the Hyperloop also employs magnetic levitation.
The basic concepts behind the magnetic levitation train system have remained
substantially unchanged and have been revalidated by the work done for the new Tokyo
Nagoya line. The basic problem holding back the technology has been the high costs
compared to conventional high speed rail technology. A favourable outcome on the 35 mile
Washington DC – Baltimore could change this perception and lead to maglev trains being
more widely built including in developing countries such as India.

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 Magnetic Levitation Trains – The Unfulfilled Promise

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