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Why are maglev trains still rare? (lemmy.ml)

submitted 1 year ago by frightful_hobgoblin@lemmy.ml to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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They were invented decades ago.

They have fewer moving parts than wheelbois.

They require less maintenance.

There's obviously some bottleneck in expanding maglev technology, but what is it?

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[-] slazer2au@lemmy.world 130 points 1 year ago

If you introduce a new rail type into your rail network you can't use your existing fleet of trains on that section reducing the ROI on that train engine or carriage. Also, any train you purchase for the new rail type will only ever work on that system lowering their profitability in the long term.

[-] akulium@feddit.de 5 points 1 year ago

There are some concepts for hybrid maglev-rail tracks that would at least solve the first point, similar to how rail was electrified over time. It would still be very expensive though.

Recent demonstration https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQOEP7_euXQ

[-] user134450@feddit.de 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

woah this is awesome!

maglevs need classical wheel systems anyway because there might be a power outage, so simply having wheels that are compatible with the local rail system is a brilliant idea.

add in a tiny propulsion system so they can use the normal tracks at low speed without the help of the maglev tracks and you can sort of blend the two systems together in critical locations like switches and train stations.

[-] PipedLinkBot@feddit.rocks 1 points 1 year ago

Here is an alternative Piped link(s): https://piped.video/watch?v=CQOEP7_euXQ

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this post was submitted on 08 Sep 2023

237 points (94.7% liked)

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