The secret behind
reaching these incredible
speeds is electromagnets.
The maximum speed of
conventional trains is
limited by how powerful the
engine is and how fast the
wheels turn, but magnetic
lev itation (maglev) trains have neither
of those drawbacks. This is mainly
because they don’t have engines or wheels!
They hover between one and 10 centimetres (0.4
and four inches), suspended by magnets – both
on the track and under the train – which repel
each other. Magnetic coils ahead of the train are
turned on, pulling the train for ward with
magnetic attraction. As the train reaches the
coil, the magnet is turned off and the next one is
turned on. The aerodynamic design of the train,
together with the absence of friction from
wheels and the strong electromagnetic forces,
contribute to speeds of up to 430 kilometres (267
miles) per hour.
High-speed trains are constantly beingdeveloped and improved. In Germany,
engineers have developed an electromagnetic
suspension (EMS) system, called Transrapid.
This utilises regular electromagnets and an
additional set of magnets to guide the train. This
prevents the carriages from rocking during
turns by wrapping the Transrapid around the
guideway, while the maglev sits on a cushion of
air. It’s reported that these EMS system trains
are able to reach blistering speeds of 482
kilometres (300 miles) per hour.
In Japan, a new system currently beingdeveloped is called electrodynamic suspension.
This involves the electromagnets being
super-cooled and conserving energy, making
the system much more effi cient in terms of
energy use, but is very expensive. Another
downside to this system is that it needs to run
on rubber t yres until it reaches a speed of 100
kilometres (62 miles) per hour, which causes
unwanted friction.
The latest development to come out of theworld of high-speed train travel is the
Inductrack. This uses normal magnets that don’t
have to be super-cooled or electrically powered,
but do involve the train using its own energ y
source to get up to speed and levitate before the
magnets are able to pull it along. These magnets
are made from a revolutionar y neodymium-
iron-boron alloy that dramatically increases the
power of the magnetic fi eld.
Who dreamt up
magnetic trains?
The idea for magnetic lev itation was fi rst proposed
in 1914 by Frenchman Emile Bachelet, who
developed the rather brilliant idea of a series of
magnets being turned on and off along a track to
pull a train along. It didn’t catch on back then,
however, due to the spotty reliability of the
electricit y supply, but paved the way for the
incredible, superfast technolog y we see today. The
improvement in electric technolog y and the
streamlined shapes of trains have allowed them to
go faster and faster until they have reached the
amazing speeds we see today in the Shanghai
Maglev and Japanese Shinkansen.The Shanghai Maglev is currently
the world’s fastest commuter
train, reaching a top speed of an
eye-watering 430 kilometres (267
miles) per hour, and that’s just its
operating speed. In testing it hit
500 kilometres (311 miles) per hour.
It transports passengers along the
Shanghai Maglev Line from
Shanghai’s Pudong Airport to the
Longyang Road train station. The
track is 30.5 kilometres (19 miles)
long, with a journey time of just
seven minutes and 20 seconds, as
it travels at an average speed of 251
kilometres (156 miles) per hour.
It has been running since 31
December 2002 and available to
the public since 2004, so has held
the record for the fastest
commuter train in the world for an
astonishing ten years, a
monumental achievement in an
industry where innovation and
improvement seems to happen
with incredible regularity.Shanghai
Maglev
Train stat-ion
430km/h
7 BILLION
111
400km/h
(267mph)
(249mph)
HOURS
Shanghai Maglev
2006 BAR Honda F1 car
It would take the
AGV Italo 111 hours
to circle the equatorShinkansen trains have carried over seven
billion passengers since 1964, that’s the
population of the entire planet. To date,
there has not been a single accidentLAND