Re: Transrapid abandons Sydney-Canberra

[David Bromage <dbromage@omni.com.au>]

Maarten Deen wrote:
> David Bromage <dbromage@omni.com.au> writes:
> >Maarten Deen wrote:
> >> FYI: the planned line Berlin-Hamburg wil be some 290 km long and the planned
> >> yourney time is just under 1 hour.
> >Actually it's 292km in exactly 1 hour, or 292km/h. From a maximum speed
> >of 430km/h, that's a shockingly low average speed.
> 
> That's because on large parts (rural areas) the maximum speed is limited
> to 250 or even as low as 160 km/h. It's not a line to accelerate to
> 400+ and then decelerate for the next stop.

But why? Transrapid says their train is so quiet!

> >> Info can be found on http://www.magnetschnellbahn.de (planning for the
> >> Hamburg-Berlin line, only in German) and http://www.mvp.de (testsite
> >> in Lathen, German and English)
> 
> >Much of the information Transrapid presents is pure fiction.
> 
> I agree, but which parts are in your eyes fiction?

The power consumption figure. Even these dubious figures are cooked because
they pack passengers in like sardines. They claim it is so much more efficient
per seat than an ICE3, but the 1st class seat pitch in a TR08 is smaller than
2nd class in an ICE3. The ICE3 also has a much larger buffet, and a bar.

> My doubts are with the cost (high as they are, have they been estimated 
> right?)

I doubt it. Costs continue to rise for the Hamburg - Berlin project, while
at the same time patronage and revenue estimates continue to fall.

They rely on 12-15 million passenger journeys per year to make an operating
profit, but there are currently only 6.2 million passenger journeys per
year 
by all modes of transport. And of these modes, air has the smallest share.

> and power
> consumtion (the two-car test vehicle does not use that much power, but
> according to Transrapid, a 10-car vehicle will not use substiantially
> more. They'll have to explain that to me)

They also seem to neglect to mention that a 2-car TR uses as much power
to levitate as an ICE running at 120km/h.

Cheers
David