Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Money Problems May Derail First U.S. MagLev Train

Posted by timothy on from the you're-saying-flying-cars-are-impractical dept.

PSaltyDS writes "The Virginian Pilot is reporting on the trials and tribulations of what was supposed to be the first MagLev train in regular use in the U.S. The MagLev Project was to cover a portion of the Old Dominion University campus, and start service in 2002, but after $14 million spent, it has yet to carry a single passenger. In the article, several engineering types seem to say the same thing, something like 'A great idea that is just too hard to do without an unlimited budget.' Is a maglev train an impractical fantasy like the personal flying car?"

5 of 409 comments (clear)

  1. Trains are obsolete by TiMac · · Score: 4, Interesting
    I don't care if they are old-fashioned, MagLev, or what. Just like busses, trains are having issues because no one wants to use them. Both Greyhound and Amtrak are unpopular forms of transportation now--no coincidence.

    The only trains that survive are local trains (like the BART) and subways really...but for those purposes there is no reason to have a MagLev system--it is too costly to implement for such a small project. magLev would be great long distance, but again, planes are still more popular and don't take up real estate on the ground.

    Trains, planes, and automobiles...the first of the bunch is just dropping out of the equation here in America.

    --

    1. Re:Trains are obsolete by coyote-san · · Score: 4, Interesting

      High speed trains can be faster than flights for short hops.

      The reason is the "tails" on your trip. Airports are usually further out from the core city than train depots so you might have an extra 10-15 minutes of travel time on each tail just to get to/from the airport. Then there's delays while the plane taxis to/from one of the few operating runways instead of navigating through the switchyard - add another 10 minutes. And the time to get through security. And an extra 30 minutes (minimum) you want in case there's a backup in security, or the train to/from the concourses is running slow, etc.

      When you're finally in the air on a short hop, you might not even spend any time cruising at 500 knots. If you listen to the ATC chatter you'll know that it takes 50-100 miles to climb up to cruising altitude, and the same to descend to the airport. So if your hop is under 200 miles you might not get to cruising altitude, and anything under 400 miles may spend less time cruising than passing through the inverted wedding cake.

      Flights clearly win if you're traveling more than a 1000 miles or there's not a direct ground route (e.g., because of large bodies of water or mountains), but there's a strong argument for grounding all flights under 150-200 miles. They clutter the airways and ATC system and aren't that much faster than ground transportation that doesn't make frequent stops. The ATC factor is so bad that som airlines have requested permission to fly below the normal jetways - it's far less fuel efficient and they can't travel as fast, but they don't have delays waiting for available spots in the crowded flight levels.

      --
      For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong. -- H L Mencken
    2. Re:Trains are obsolete by SurgeonGeneral · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I don't care if they are old-fashioned, MagLev, or what. Just like busses, trains are having issues because no one wants to use them. Both Greyhound and Amtrak are unpopular forms of transportation now--no coincidence.

      Here in Canada, buses and trains are the only mode of transportation within provinces (which are very large) unless you own a car (and want to pay 50-100 dollars in gas... which is the price of a bus ticket) or can pay enourmous fees for the airplane. They are VERY popular, and wont be losing any popularity as long as people still want to see their friends and families.

      To cross the country the only viable method of transportation is airplane. Maglev could offer a great alternative to the 6 hour, 800 dollar flight from Toronto to Vancouver. Your shallow argument against using trains for long distance (magLev would be great long distance, but again, planes are still more popular and don't take up real estate on the ground.) is downright stupid. In case you are unaware of your own history and geography, trains have been around for 200 years, and the cross-country tracks that they built for them still exist. Personally I'll take a high speed train over a high-priced plane any day of the week, and the lack of high-speed cross-country trains more than accounts for the popularity of the only other practical mode of cross-country transportation.

      But I guess you've never been to Europe, or travelled Asia either. In those densely populated areas trains are by far the best way to travel. Jumping on the Chunnel train is far easier than getting to Heathrow three hours early so the security check can lose your baggage. With the chunnel train someone can live in London and go to work in Calais or Paris. Now just imagine if cross-country, or even inter-province (or inter-state) travel within North America was that cost-effective and convinient. A tourist to Europe will always get a Train pass unless they are not planning on leaving the city they start in. There is literally no other practical way for a tourist to travel within Europe. Too bad the world's biggest industry (tourism) did not cross your mind when you were evaluating trains.

      --
      -- "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains." Jean Jacques Rousseau
  2. Stupidity is... by FFFish · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ...ignoring the existing half-dozen working solutions in preference for pissing millions of dollars on a homebrew solution.

    Even more stupid is insisting on a maglev solution when there are equally fast and substantially less-expensive traditional solutions, aka the French and Japanese bullet trains. One of those puppies just broke the 500kmh barrier with passengers.

    --

    --
    Don't like it? Respond with words, not karma.
  3. Amtrak NEC goes 120mph by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Your comments are indeed appropriate for the NYC to Boston segment, but between Trenton and Newark, NJ, the Amtrak caps out at around 120mph. 10% of Pennsylvania's easternmost county, Bucks, commutes to the NYC metro area, thanks in large part to Amtrak. Not to mention the cost of living.. I always tell people I pay a near-rural cost of living with a midtown salary.

    You will never ever see the entire DC-to-Boston corridor converted to maglev because the last leg of the rail-based system has a lower speed limit. That's just ridiculous.. try taking the train to Philly one day and you'll see what the rest of us have been enjoying for decades.