Does the technology produce electromagnetic forces (EMF)?

FRA's Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (DPEIS) for this project, issued in June 2000, concluded that there are no major EMF or electromagnetic radiation (EMR) issues. The EMF characteristics of the Transrapid system, the project's technology provider, and the associated public and worker exposures have been extensively surveyed and documented by the U.S. Department of Transportation and FRA in a series of reports over the past decade.

Studies of EMF characteristics have focused on key system locations such as the vehicle, the guideway, station platforms, overpasses/underpasses, control and communication structures, power conditioning equipment and near distribution and power-rail cabling located under the guideway. EMF readings were then compared to other transportation systems such as conventional electric trains as well as common home or office sources. Key findings are that "average values of magnetic fields for Maglev are comparable to other electric transit and rail systems and below applicable limits."