THE WORKINGS OF MAGLEV: A NEW WAY TO TRAVEL Scott Dona Amarjit Singh Research Report UHM/CE/2017-01 April 2017 The Workings of Maglev: A New Way to Travel Page Left Blank ii Scott Dona and Amarjit Singh EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Maglev is a relatively new form of transportation and the term is derived from magnetic levitation. This report describes what maglev is, how it works, and will prove that maglev can be successfully constructed and provide many fully operational advantages. The different types of maglev technology were analyzed. Several case studies were examined to understand the different maglev projects whether operational, still in construction, or proposed. This report presents a plan to construct a maglev network using Maglev 2000 vehicles in the United States. A maglev system provides energy, environmental, economic, and quality of life benefits. An energy and cost analysis was performed to determine whether maglev provides value worth pursuing. Maglev has both a lower energy requirement and lower energy costs than other modes of transportation. Maglev trains have about one-third of the energy requirement and about one- third of energy cost of Amtrak trains. Compared to other maglev projects, the U.S. Maglev Network would be cheaper by a weighted average construction cost of $36 million per mile. Maglev could also be applied to convert the Honolulu Rail project in Hawaii from an elevated steel wheel on steel rail system into a maglev system. Due to the many benefits that Maglev offers and the proof that maglev can be implemented successfully, maglev could be the future of transportation not just in the United States but in the world. Maglev will improve the way that people travel. iii The Workings of Maglev: A New Way to Travel Page Left Blank iv Scott Dona and Amarjit Singh Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..................................................................................................... iii LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................... vii LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................. ix 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 1 2 A NEW MODE OF TRANSPORTATION ................................................................... 3 3 HOW MAGLEV WORKS .............................................................................................. 5 3.1 Magnets .................................................................................................................................. 5 3.2 Maglev Systems ..................................................................................................................... 6 4 MAGLEV TECHNOLOGY .......................................................................................... 11 4.1 Levitation ............................................................................................................................. 11 4.1.1 Electromagnetic Suspension (EMS) ................................................................................. 11 4.1.2 Electrodynamic Suspension (EDS)................................................................................... 12 4.1.3 Inductrack ......................................................................................................................... 13 4.2 Propulsion ............................................................................................................................ 14 4.2.1 Linear Induction Motor (LIM).......................................................................................... 14 4.2.2 Linear Synchronous Motor (LSM) ................................................................................... 15 5 MAGLEV 2000 (USA) ................................................................................................... 17 6 HISTORY OF MAGLEV FIRST ROUND (IN USA) ................................................ 21 7 HISTORY OF MAGLEV SECOND ROUND (IN USA) ........................................... 23 8 SAMPLE DESIGN OF MAGLEV ............................................................................... 25 9 MAGLEV IN OPERATION (CHINA, JAPAN, AND SOUTH KOREA) ................ 27 9.1 Shanghai Maglev Line (China) .......................................................................................... 27 9.2 Linimo (Japan) .................................................................................................................... 31 9.3 Incheon Airport Maglev Line (South Korea) ................................................................... 32 9.4 Changsha (China) ............................................................................................................... 35 10 MAGLEV IN CONSTRUCTION ............................................................................. 37 10.1 Chuo Shinkansen Maglev Line (Japan) ............................................................................ 37 10.2 skyTran (Israel and Nigeria) .............................................................................................. 39 11 Proposed Maglev ........................................................................................................ 41 11.1 Baltimore and Washington DC, USA ................................................................................ 41 11.2 India...................................................................................................................................... 42 11.3 London and France ............................................................................................................. 42 12 U.S. NATIONAL MAGLEV NETWORK ............................................................... 45 12.1 U.S. West Coast Maglev Network...................................................................................... 49 12.2 U.S. East Coast Maglev Network ....................................................................................... 52 13 POWER AND ELECTRICITY USAGE ................................................................. 55 14 COST OF MAGLEV ................................................................................................. 67 14.1 Cost of Maglev Projects ...................................................................................................... 67 14.2 Cost of U.S. National Maglev Network ............................................................................. 69 14.3 Country Cost Indexes ......................................................................................................... 71 v The Workings of Maglev: A New Way to Travel 14.4 Economy of Scale ................................................................................................................ 73 15 BENEFITS OF MAGLEV ........................................................................................ 75 15.1 Energy Benefits ................................................................................................................... 75 15.2 Environmental Benefits ...................................................................................................... 75 15.3 Economic Benefits ............................................................................................................... 76 15.4 Societal Benefits................................................................................................................... 76 16 HONOLULU RAIL TRANSIT PROJECT ............................................................. 79 17 CONVERSION OF HONOLULU’S RAIL TO MAGLEV ................................... 81 17.1 Maglev Conversion Plan ..................................................................................................... 81 17.2 Maglev Extension: Bells and Whistles .............................................................................. 83 17.3 Advantages of Maglev ......................................................................................................... 84 18 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION ........................................................................... 87 REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................... 89 vi Scott Dona and Amarjit Singh LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. German Electromagnetic Transrapid Maglev ..............................................................7 Figure 2. JR Superconducting Maglev (Dipole) .........................................................................8 Figure 3. Powell and Danby’s Superconducting Maglev 2000 (Quadrupole) ............................9 Figure 4. Electromagnetic Suspension System .........................................................................11 Figure 5. Electrodynamic Suspension System ..........................................................................12 Figure 6. Inductrack System .....................................................................................................13 Figure 7. Comparison of Maglev 2000 on Monorail and Planar Guideway .............................18 Figure 8. Image of Maglev 2000 Vehicle on Monorail Guideway ...........................................26 Figure 9. Shanghai Maglev .......................................................................................................28 Figure 10. Linimo Maglev ........................................................................................................32