Maglev project gets $2 million in fed funds

Daytona Beach News-Journal ^ | February 27, 2003

[Willie Green]

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.

EDGEWATER --The federal government has come through with $2 million needed to finish construction of a magnetically levitating train project at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va.

Congress approved the funding as part of the federal transportation budget on Feb. 13 and President Bush made it official last week when he signed the federal budget.

The money will allow American Maglev Technology to complete its high-speed train, which was constructed in Edgewater.

The $16 million project has been on hold since November until funds were made available to complete construction of stations and final safety tests for the rail system at the university, according to AMT CEO Tony Morris. He expects the system to be running by the beginning of the 2003-2004 school year.

[Willie Green]

Related threads:
Maglev train at Old Dominion University takes first, slow slides
Locally-built maglev train in test runs

---

.

Magnetic levitation (Maglev) is an advanced technology in which magnetic forces lift, propel, and guide a vehicle over a guideway. Utilizing state-of-the-art electric power and control systems, this configuration eliminates contact between vehicle and guideway and permits cruising speeds of up to 300 mph, or almost two times the speed of conventional high-speed rail service. Because of its high speed, Maglev offers competitive trip-time savings to auto and aviation modes in the 40- to 600-mile travel markets–an ideal travel option for the 21st century.

Both the Pennsylvania and Baltimore-Washington plans utilize maglev technology developed by Transrapid International. The German design is based on a conventional non-superconductingelectromagnetic/attractive magnetic configuration, and has received extensive testing at a full-scale test track in Emsland, Germany. The latest design represents over 20 years of design evolution and 15 years' testing of full-scale Transrapid prototypes, including safety certification by the German government for passenger-carrying revenue service at speeds of 250 mph or higher.

Highlights of the Transrapid system are:

• High cruising speeds of 200 to 300 mph (320 kph to 480 kph)
  

• Fast acceleration and braking with outstanding passenger comfort
  

• Can climb 10% grades at full speed
  

• Safe operation on dedicated grade-separated track, or guideway
  

• Vehicle wraps around guideway to reduce risk of derailment
  

• Low electromagnetic field emission and interference potential
  

• Standard superelevation, or tilt, of 12 degrees (max. up to 16 degrees) to navigate curves
  

• Proven and tested automatic operations control system
  

• Minimal guideway maintenance with small footprint
  

• High system capacity
  

• Guideway energized sequentially for dynamic vehicle "block" control and reduced power demand
  

• Improved aerodynamic vehicle design for minimal turbulence
  

• Multiple levels of redundancy built in for safe operations at all speeds
  

• Final safety approval anticipated in Germany for commercial operations
  

• Prior evaluation and safety analysis by the US Department of
  Transportation accepted Transrapid for deployment in Orlando, Florida in 1992

The Transrapid is suitable for transporting goods as well. For high-speed cargo transport, special cargo sections can be combined with passenger sections or assembled to form dedicated cargo trains (payload up to 18 tons per section). As the propulsion system is in the guideway, neither the length of the vehicle nor the payload affect the acceleration power.

If you would like more information about Maglev, visit the Transrapid International website or Maglev of Pennsylvania or the Baltimore-Washington Maglev Project

[fooman]

Good to hear compared to 20B for turkey this is super cheap.

Imagine having richmond to boston connected...

It would help commerce immeasurablely and make commuting possible...

[Publius]

The project has hired one of America's best known railroad artists to come up with a painting of this project. I was at his house yesterday afternoon and got a look at the incomplete artwork. It's pretty impressive.

[Willie Green]

Compared to the high-speed regional transport being pursued by TransRapid, American Maglev Technology's project at Old Dominion is just a low-speed people mover, used to shuttle students across campus. But it's also an excellent Maglev entrant to the local commuting market, and I believe that their technology will eventually be expanded to compete in high-speed regional applications. (If I remember correctly, American Maglev has ties to Lockheed/Martin)

[KevinDavis]

Sorry, I would rather have my money spent on the space station rather than the trains no one wants to ride.

[Normal4me]

I'd ride it just to go 300mph! Beats Disney!

[fooman]

If you had a way to move people efficiently from richmond to springfield to DC to BWI to Balt to DEl to philly to nyc to conn, RI then boston, you would revolutionalize things.

You already have people commmute from philly to nyc in 1 to 1.5 hours. With a train like this, we are talking 30 min or less.

It would be a boon economically. Remember the NE corridor is the only part of amtrack that makes a profit.

In fact, these prices subsidize other parts of the network.

[Willie Green]

Furthermore, Maglev would not have been paralyzed by harsh weather, such as was exerienced during the recent blizzard. Travelling on its own elevated guideway, it would've been well above any drifting snow. And the guideway itself is designed to dissipate any snow/ice accumulation: it would simply blow and/or slide off and drop to the ground, keeping the guideway clear. (Maglev vehicles travel about 6" above the guideway anyway, so what little may accumulate would not interfere with operation, and would also be blown away by passing Maglev vehicles.)

[americanbychoice]

As long as it isn't the German Transrapid. We need to keep our money at home. By the way, didn't we have the people mover at Disney world for the last 30 years? After all, the concept isn't realyy that "new".

[NorseWood]

Actually, maglev is new to this country. Disney uses a monorail system . . . big difference.

[KevinDavis]

Sorry Trains are so 20th century.. Doesn't excite me at all..

[americanbychoice]

Not the Monorail system. The people mover.

[fooman]

Thats fine, suit yourself there is always the bus or sitting in traffic.

Its easier and cheaper to take the train than the shuttle right now between DC and NY, even though the plane used to be cheaper.

If there train were 2 to three times faster, the same price or better -it would be incredible.

[fooman]

BTW, I am as free market and trade as they come unless there are obvious externalities as there are here and with trade with china.

[prisoner6]

Just heard Rep Mike Doyle on one of those Comcast cable news minutes saying Pennsylvania has agreed to shell out 500 million in local matching funds in hopes of bringing the federal high speed maglev project to Pittsburgh. Baltimore apparently will not be able to come up with similar funding so the speculation is we get the project.

What I don't see is where the Rendell administration is finding the money. 500 mil isn't exactly chump change, especially in a state that's financially strapped.

prisoner6

[Willie Green]

Rendell budget full of 'painful' cuts

I'm not sure of the details, but it looks like (unlike many other states) Pennsylvania has the discipline to keep its financial affairs in order. (Rendell budget full of 'painful' cuts )

Maglev will be a good infrastructure project for Pennsylvania, providing not only jobs for its construction, but also improved transportation that will facilitate commerce and an expanded tax base.