As of 2026, Germany does not have a long-distance, high-speed commercial maglev network like the one in Shanghai, but it has made significant strides in urban and freight maglev technology. In late 2025, the German government issued Europe’s first official maglev operating license to the Transport System Bögl (TSB). Unlike the famous, failed Transrapid project of the 1990s, the TSB is a medium-low-speed system designed specifically for short-to-medium distances in urban environments or at major logistics hubs like ports. Several cities, including Nuremberg and Hamburg, are currently evaluating the implementation of these automated, emission-free shuttle lines to move containers or passengers at speeds of up to 150 km/h. While travelers still rely on the traditional high-speed ICE (InterCity Express) trains for cross-country travel, the 2026 landscape shows Germany pivoting toward maglev as a sustainable "last-mile" solution. You can often see demonstration tracks in places like Sengenthal, where the technology is being refined for global export to cities looking to relieve road congestion through elevated, quiet magnetic levitation.