Train
magnets
Magnets are
placed on the
train, facing
toward the coils.Levitation magnets
Magnets placed underneath
the track repulse the train’s
magnets, pushing the train
up and away from the track.Defying gravity
As it is not actually touching the track
any more, the train has no friction to
work against so can go faster.Cooling off
In some systems, the
magnets can need to be
super-cooled to prevent
them overheating.How do maglev trains travel
hundreds of miles per hour?
The obv ious advantage is
getting to places much, much
quicker. The HS2 high-speed
train w ill halve the journey
time between the London and
Manchester, which will be a
great boost to both cities. The
Beijing to Shanghai high-speed
railway cuts the journey time
from nearly ten hours to fi ve.
The other huge benefi t is that
maglev trains don’t have
engines so there are fewer
things that can malfunction.
They are solely powered
through electromagnets in the
track and train and batteries
inside the train.Advantages
Inside a speed machine
Inductrack
A cheaper system uses coils of
copper wire arranged in such a
way as to produce a constant
magnetic fi eld and the train’s
motion sends a current
through the coils, propelling
the train upward and forward.LAND