Re: NSW support puts rail project on track for federal approval

[dbromage@fang.omni.com.au (David Bromage)]

eikkert@my-deja.com wrote:

> 4 Billion cost prohibitive? As opposed to the immense cost of building
> the superconductors necessary for the mag-lev to operate...

Transrapid does not use superconducting electromagnets, which is why it is
so energy inefficient. The only way to reduce the energy per seat
(compared with an ICE) is by packing them in like sardines. Seats in a
Transrapid have about the same pitch as a domestic aircraft.

The Japanese maglev (Chuo Shinkansen) uses superconducting magnets. While
the cost of building would currently be higher than Transrapid, the cost
is rapidly coming down thanks to Japan's very high investment in basic
research at universities[1]. That is why Japan has no intention of a
commercial maglev for at least another 5 years. This is partly to wait
until the cost comes down, and partly to test the interactive aerodynamic
effects of trains crossing at a combined speed of 1100km/h.

Transrapid does not know the effects of trains crossing at high speed as
their test line is only single track. The record for TGVs crossing is a
combined speed of 770km/h.

Cheers
David

[1] The Japanese government currently funds basic research to the tune of
about Y1.7 trillion (A$15.5 billion) per year.