Maglev train plans receive initial approval in Germany
The plans of the German company Max Bögl to create tracks for maglev trains in Germany have received their first approval from the German railway authority. These are relatively short routes that the company wants to build.
According to Max Bögl, the Eisenbahn-Bundesamt has confirmed that the basic components of the trains and the tracks meet the requirements and that tests have been carried out according to the set standards. The company has yet to get approval for the control system and other components. Once it is in, TSB wants to acquire a license to build a first practical route of its Transport System Bögl. If a permit has been obtained for that construction, the maglev railway could be put into use within two years, the company estimates.
The intention is that the trains of the Transport System Bögl will transport passengers and goods without a driver at a speed of up to 150 km / h and with an acceleration of 1 m / s². Trains are made up of two to six wagons and can then transport up to 127 people per wagon. Max Bögl argues that trains can supplement existing means of transport, particularly in metropolitan areas, and can be easily integrated into the existing infrastructure there. Unlike other maglev initiatives, the company focuses on use for relatively short distances at slower speeds, which means that costs can remain relatively low, as can the weight of the trains.
As one of the advantages, the company mentions the low noise production of the means of transport. For example, the active components are incorporated in the sheets under 20 centimeters thick concrete. It is not known where the first jobs should be, but the company previously proposed a route of 53 kilometers between Augsburg and Munich. The track would connect several municipalities to the public transport network and relieve the busy A8 motorway. Max Bögl says he has been working at the TSB since 2010 and has completed more than 125,000 test runs on his own test track in Sengenthal. In addition, the company hopes to gain a foothold in China. There, Max Bögl works together with the company Xinzhu.
Max Bögl was also involved in the Transrapid project for Siemens maglev trains. During the test track for Transrapid in Lathen, Germany, in 2006 a train at a speed of more than 200 km / h collided with a stationary wagon, killing 23 people. Despite the cautious start-up of new tests in the years after the accident, there was still little enthusiasm for Transrapid and in 2011 the plug was pulled out of the project.