Are maglev trains profitable?

SNCF, widely regarded as one of the best high-speed rail operators in the world, has had 4 profitable years and 5 loss-generating years since 2012. The Shanghai Metro Maglev has never been profitable. Clearly, there is an issue with passenger transport. No mode of transportation can consistently generate profits.



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Cost concerns over innovative rail The primary challenge facing maglev trains has always been cost. While all large-scale transportation systems are expensive, maglev requires a dedicated infrastructure including substations and power supplies and cannot be integrated directly into an existing transportation system.

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An exciting future possibility for maglev trains is known as evacuated tube transport. This involves the trains traveling in enclosed vacuum tubes with very little air resistance. Implementing this involves permanently removing air along the travel route; the passengers ride in air-locked train cars.

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Compared to highspeed passenger rail, maglev passenger rail consumes roughly twice the power per passenger kilometer. For commercial freight I found an efficiency figure of 520 ton-miles per gallon (660 kg-km/MJ). Assuming 70kg for the average commuter passenger this gives us an efficiency of (116 kg-km/MJ) for maglev.

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The MAGLEV train provides a sustainable and cleaner solution for train transportation by significantly reducing the energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions as compared to traditional train transportation systems.

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And also because it can travel up higher ascending grades (up to 10 percent), compared to conventional trains (up to 4 percent or less), maglev trains can also reduce the need to create new tunnels or to level the landscape to build its tracks.

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Maglev trains are “driven” by the powered guideway. Any two trains traveling the same route cannot catch up and crash into one another because they're all being powered to move at the same speed. Similarly, traditional train derailments that occur because of cornering too quickly can't happen with Maglev.

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Due to the huge cost of running a maglev over very long distances, the hovering trains have been ruled out for the planned HS2 line connecting Manchester with London and Birmingham by 2033.

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The design of the maglev cars and railway makes derailment highly unlikely, and maglev railcars can be built wider than conventional railcars, offering more options for using the interior space and making them more comfortable to ride in.

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The engine for maglev trains is rather inconspicuous. Instead of using fossil fuels, the magnetic field created by the electrified coils in the guideway walls and the track combine to propel the train.

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There are only three countries in the world that currently have operational Maglev Trains: China, Japan, and Korea. Maglev trains are much more efficient than traditional trains and hold the speed record for trains (603km/h).

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Total 12.15 Comparing the data in Tables 2 & 3 shows that for the at- grade construction, maglev would cost at least 3.8 $M/ mi more than the TGV Atlantic. The cost difference may be significantly higher when actual costs are substituted for the maglev tchnology costs.

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Even if the power goes out, levitation forces keeps the train in the air while it is traveling at high speed. The vehicle comes safely to a stop rather than suddenly falling onto the track.

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Cost: Maglev train technology is significantly more expensive than conventional high-speed rail. HS2 is already a highly expensive project, and adopting Maglev technology would further increase the cost.

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Because maglev trains require entirely new guideways, cars, and power specifications, they must be built from scratch. Despite their decades-long allure, implementation costs can be prohibitive relative to HSR. Today there are only six operational maglev trains—three in China, two in South Korea, and one in Japan.

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A system of Maglev trains linking the major cities in Switzerland has been proposed. The project is based on high-speed maglev trains travelling in low-pressure tunnels at about 1000 km/h. Such trains would significantly lower the travel time between major cities in Switzerland.

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