Alternative systems were evaluated with respect to the overall performance and
system requirements, and their abilities to provide technology transfer to U.S. and local
industries in the manufacture, construction, operation and maintenance of the
Maglev system. In assessing the capabilities of available Maglev technologies, MTA's
focus was placed on "commercially available" technologies, including innovative US designs proposed through the FRA/Corps of Engineers/DOE National Maglev Initiative from the early 1990s.

Three commercially available candidate Maglev technologies were considered as
viable under the TEA 21 Maglev Deployment Criteria. These included:

• Transrapid 08: The German design is based on a conventional non-superconductingelectromagnetic/attractive magnetic configuration, and has received extensive testing at a full-scale test track in Emsland, Germany. The latest design represents over 20 years of design evolution and 15 years' testing of full-scale Transrapid prototypes, including safety certification by the German government for passenger-carrying revenue service at speeds of 250 mph or higher.

A Cross Section of the TR 08 vehicle.	Comparison of acceleration of the European high speed ICE 3 train with the Transrapid Maglev system.
Please click on images above to view at full size.

• Japan Railways MLX01: Japan Railways has also been developing Maglev
  ground transportation systems for over 20 years. The current design - based in principle on the Danby/Powell design (see below) - is planned to
  serve as a revenue prototype for the planned Tokyo-Osaka Maglev line under
  consideration by the Japanese government. The MLX-series design
  relies on superconducting magnets in an electrodynamic/repulsive magnetic configuration, requiring support wheels for take-off and landing operations, similar to an airplane.
  
  
• Maglev 2000: Drs. Gordon Danby and James Powell have been
  developing and marketing their design for a U.S.-designed Maglev system for more than 30 years through funds made available privately and recently through some federally funded programs such as TEA 21's Maglev Deployment Program. The design is based on updating their original concept
  from the 1960s - which the Japanese used as a baseline in the first ML100 prototype -- for a superconducting electrodynamic system.

The system judged as being closest to commercial deployment, and therefore included in the baseline analysis, is the Transrapid TR08. Highlights of the Transrapid
system are:

• High cruising speeds of 200 to 300 mph (320 kph to 480 kph)
  
• Fast acceleration and braking with outstanding passenger comfort
  
• Can climb 10% grades at full speed
  
• Safe operation on dedicated grade-separated track, or guideway
  
• Vehicle wraps around guideway to reduce risk of derailment
  
• Low electromagnetic field emission and interference potential
  
• Standard superelevation, or tilt, of 12 degrees (max. up to 16 degrees) to navigate curves
  
• Proven and tested automatic operations control system
  
• Minimal guideway maintenance with small footprint
  
• High system capacity
  
• Guideway energized sequentially for dynamic vehicle "block" control and reduced power demand
  
• Improved aerodynamic vehicle design for minimal turbulence
  
• Multiple levels of redundancy built in for safe operations at all speeds
  
• Final safety approval anticipated in Germany for commercial operations
  
• Prior evaluation and safety analysis by the US Department of
  Transportation accepted Transrapid for deployment in Orlando, Florida in 1992

If you would like more information about Maglev, visit the Transrapid International website at http://www.transrapid.de/en/index.html