Maglev Trains: Using Magnets to Move Really, Really Fast
Some of the fastest trains in the world don't run on gas or even electricity. They use magnets to levitate the cars above the tracks and propel them frictionlessly to their destination. The majority of these trains shuttle passengers in China, Japan and Europe. Unfortunately, a lack of funding has ground a handful of maglev projects in the United States to a halt. But inventors are not giving up. People from the Maglev America Project want to build a 28,800-mile network of maglev trains in the United States and plans for smaller railways linking cities are also being talked about. In the meantime, here are the different ways in which maglev trains transport people to their destinations.
-
-
Maglev Trains
The fastest trains ever built are turning hour-long, traffic-jammed commutes into futuristic joyrides. So when can we expect a maglev train here in the United States? Jorge Ribas finds out.
-
Interactive: Transatlantic Maglev Tunnel
A magnetically levitated train could theoretically take you from New York to London in 54 minutes. But you'd have to go 5,000 miles per hour through a 3,100-mile-long tunnel that was itself floating in the Atlantic Ocean. Find out how it would work.
-
Robotic Train-Plane Levitates Passengers
Researchers from Tohoku University in Japan have unveiled a prototype of the Aero-train, a free-flying, robotic train-plane that levitates on a cushion of air.
-
China's High Speed Train Breaks Another Record: Big Pic
During a trial run, a train named "the Harmony" reached 258.86 miles per hour.
-
High Speed (and Not So High Speed) Rail
There's Japan and the Shinkansen, and of course European countries have built out extensive systems. But what about Battambang's Bamboo Railway in Cambodia?
-
Double Decker Bullet Train
Australian design firm Hassell has unveiled a concept for a new double-decker high-speed train meant to travel between Melbourne and Sydney.
-
Top 5 High Speed Rail Jobs
Here are five kinds of jobs that experts in the railway industry think will come online in the next few years, as high-speed rail breaks ground around the country.
-
Future Energy
Future Energy explores how we will change the way we make and use energy, from basic day-to-day changes to dramatic, state of the art transformations technology. Now is the time to learn, explore and interact so you can make your own smarter, earth-friendly choices and join the movement that will transform our lives.
MOST VIEWED STORIES
- Bigfoot: Beyond Footprints and DNA
- The Top 10 New Species: Photos
- The Discovernator
- Bigfoot and Yeti DNA Study Gets Serious
- Ten Things You Didn't Know About Tattoos: Photos
- Beryl Targets Southeast Coast: Storm Tracker
- SpaceX Capsule Has 'New Car' Smell
- Word Bubbles
- Memory Matrix
- Puzzle of the Week! Croc-Camel Claw
|
|
Tech Contributors
Blogroll
-
our sites
-
video
-
shop
-
stay connected
-
corporate
