Chase Jones
Dr. Sweigart
Engineering Concepts
19 October 2017
Impacts
Maglev Trains, short for Magnetic Levitation Trains, are a unique type of train that
levitates about 10mm of the ground. They do this by putting electromagnets on the tracks and the
bottom of trains. A German scientist named Alfred Zehden created this concept. Alfred Zehden is
a famous German scientist and inventor. He was born on November 15, 1876. He died in 1933
at age 57. He first developed his idea of the Magnetically Levitating train in 1902. In 1959 the
first train design was created. More progress was made in 1984 when the first rideable train was
created in Birmingham, England (Wikipedia). More recently the fastest Maglev train was
created. This train reached speeds up to 311 miles per hour. Maglev Trains have made impacted
society by being extremely efficient and helpful to our environment.
Maglev Trains are powered by electric power that control the train, which is much safer
and helps with preventing crashes. Last year alone there were over 5,000 train-car crashes
causing thousands of deaths (McAleer). Having a Maglev trains would reduce these numbers
dramatically. Because the train is not making contact with the track there is no friction, making
train much faster. The lack of friction also keeps the trains quiet which helps the environment by
not scaring off animals and potentially damaging the ears of animals and people. They can reach
speeds of 268 miles per hour and one Maglev Train reached 311 miles per hour. If this train were
an everyday train the noise could damage the ears of many people and animals. Maglev Trains
have also had a huge impact on the environment by not causing any pollution. They are powered
by electricity causing them to not produce and pollution. Unlike everyday trains these train
tracks are in the air. This has a huge impact on the environment by not interfering with nature.
Although they have an enormous impact on the environment there are still few Maglev
trains in the world. Regular trains cost around 1 million dollars per mile (ACW). To build a
maglev train it can cost 15 million dollars per mile. There are many factors that go into the
unreasonable costs of Maglev trains. First of all there are many safety precautions involved.
Because the train can reach high speeds there are many safety requirements involved. They must
be very stable and able to brake and start. Meeting these requirements takes time and money.
Many countries have been able use these trains all over the world. COuntries such as Spain,
Germany, France, Japan, and China have built these trains by using advanced technology such as
magnetic levitation (MaglevNET). Over the last 30 years the U.S. has made an attempt to build a
high speed train from Los Angeles to San Francisco. They have struggled to do this due to the
high cost. The project for the train is scheduled to be done by 2028 (Oremus). The only
difference from the high speeds in Japan is that this train is a bullet train. Originally this project
was meant to be a Maglev train but due to cost it never went through.
In the future when funding for magnetic levitation becomes more reasonable all countries
around the world should consider them. In the world today pollution is one of the biggest
problems society faces. The U.S. and China cause the most pollution each year both producing
more pollution than all of the European Union. They have both made efforts to make a change
but they havent been enough. Using Magnetic Levitation Trains is the first step to change and
will have a great impact on the world.
Work Cited
Maglev. Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Oct. 2017, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maglev.
The McAleer Law Firm P.C. Atlanta Train Accident Attorney McAleer Law,
www.mcaleerlaw.com/train-accident-statistics.html.
User, Super. Costs of a Rail Siding. Costs of a Rail Siding - ACW Railway Company,
www.acwr.com/economic-development/railroads-101/rail-siding-costs.
Oremus, Will. Japan Is Building Floating Trains That Go 300 MPH. Why Aren't We? Slate
Magazine,30Nov.2012www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2012/11/30/japan_s_300_mph_maglev
_train_why_can_t_the_us_build_high_speed_rail.html.\
Countries With Fastest Trains.MaglevNET,www.maglev.net/news/countries-with-fastest-trains.
Schoen, John W. Here's How US Carbon Pollution Stacks up with the Rest of the
World.CNBC, CNBC, 31 May 2017, www.cnbc.com/2017/05/31/how-us-carbon-pollution-
compares-with-the-rest-of-the-world.html.
