2134/15597
Roger Goodall
Roger
Goodall
Maglev: an unfulfilled dream?
Loughborough University
2014
Maglev
Railways
Failure
Mechanical Engineering not elsewhere classified
2014-08-19 10:35:10
Conference contribution
https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/conference_contribution/Maglev_an_unfulfilled_dream_/9552941
Although Maglev has been technically developed in a variety of forms, and has had some limited
operational success, the dream envisaged in the 1960s and 1970s of wide-scale commercial
implementation remains elusive. This paper provides a technical and historical appraisal, starting with
the expected features believed in the early days to characterise Maglev, and reviews the actual
achievements against these expectations, i.e. to assess the progress towards the original dream and its
viability. The conclusion includes a commentary on the present day opportunities and barriers, and
offers some suggestions for emphasis into the future. The objective is to stimulate a discussion aimed
at helping to understand why the dream remains largely unfulfilled.