Maglev Transport

[Phil Blinkhorn]

I've been "lurking" around that forum, on and off, since it was drawn to my attention some months ago.

Were I still in business I'd have no hesitation in researching the possibility of putting together an international conference with speakers invited from the Board, transport operators, governments and equipment companies. I'm sure it would make money and act as a focal point for debate.

For MAGLEV proponents to have to try to take the spotlight at rail and other transport conferences is not the best way to generate interest and informed debate.

Whilst any balanced conference focussing on MAGLEV would have to have speakers questioning the principles and particular projects, the system would not have to be a minority idea competing for space and publicity against more conventional forms of transport.

I am, however, well and truly retired but if anyone has around £50,000 of risk capital to spare there's a chance of a profit of around £30-£40,000 for a properly run three day event with the satisfaction of giving the topic and the competing systems a good airing.

BTW, holding the mike on this Forum holds no benefits. As long as people don't personally insult or spam the system their input is just as valid as mine or Aidan's - and contentious ideas should inspire robust debate.

[Pushooka]

I believe you, I believe you! Trouble is I'm a little short this week!
Were I still in business, I would sink that sort of money back into the old business again, but I'm a bit late for all that now!
As for holding the mike! l learned about that the hard way at The Embassy Club! Bernard wasn't the one to even go to the loo when he had it in his hand!! But a great guy and sadly missed!

[aidanorourke]

While I appreciate and respect the cautious approach of Phil with regard to developing technologies like MAGLEV, I still think that often, when trying to push ahead with a revolutionary new idea, some leap of faith is required.

I'm sure there were plenty of naysayers around when someone suggested putting a steam engine on rails and getting it to pull carriages full of people. And as for the Channel Tunnel, would it ever have been built if the challenges - technical and financial - had been fully taken into account.

Of course, you might end up with a Sinclair C5, or an APT, but isn't it worth dreaming? I dream about outlandish forms of public transport a lot, and I've ridden on a few when abroad - for example the Tama monorail in Tokyo.

But I would love to have one of those groundbreaking public transport schemes here on home ground. There was one that opened in 1830 between Manchester and Liverpool and it didn't do too badly. We are not riding around in stagecoaches (at least not those pulled by horses!)

To all individuals and companies willing to dream and push ahead with the extraordinary - I say go for it!

[Pushooka]

Oh thanks Aidan for that! Now I don't feel quite so alone on the subject! Although I do appreciate everything that Phil has said, I was begining to feel a little shell-shocked!
I also would love one of those groundbreaking public transport schemes at the end of my road, (but not 'Oxford Road' ) Have a look at this one, it's safe! SKYWEB EXPRESS by Taxi 2000

[aidanorourke]

An interesting proposal - looks like a 'ladybird monorail' or ladybug in the States. Reminds me also of the ghost train at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, or maybe the 'monobike' at Gullivers World theme parks - except that with that, you are open to the elements and you have to pedal it yourself!

Systems like this already seem to work well in enclosed complexes such as airports - Hong Kong, Schiphol, Gatwick for example.

But as a replacement for the number 50 bus along Upper Brook Street?

Actually I like the public in public transport. It's part of the attraction of mass transit, people watching, as on the London Underground, or Dublin DART.

Always curious to see what someone will dream up next!

For all the talk of futuristic transport systems, my transportation solution along Oxford Road into Manchester City Centre often turns out to be a 20 year old diesel-belching wreck on wheels with a driver who looks like he has just walked out of a snooker club and a bunch of youths upstairs on the back seat behaving antisocially. But in a perverse way, I like it, as it's got character and is a reflection of the city.

[Pushooka]

I must say I like your analogies of 'Skyweb Express' and do agree that they look a bit like something you may wish to stamp on! (Not that I would!) I do have to say, I have gone off it a bit though since I found out it's not run on the Maglev system!
As for your 20 year old deisel-belching wrecks on wheels? I was a bus driver once, and had my fill of youths behaving badly!! These days I hate the thought of getting on a bus and can't remember the last time I did! They are not safe for people of my age group, or many others! I have a free pass for using them, but I would only do it as a last resort! God knows what I would do if I didn't have my car!

[aidanorourke]

I've just received this news report from MDR Germany, concerning 'Das Aus' or 'the end' or 'abandonment' for the Transrapid project:

Regret and Joy at the end of the Transrapid

"Bavaria's President Beckstein has expressed his regret at the abandonment of the Transrapid. It was a bad day for Germany as an industrial nation, said the CSU Politician. Also the Federal Association of German Industry declared that the failure of the Transrapid was not a good signal for Germany. Federal Railways boss Mehdorn said an important flagship project had been lost. Munich's SPD mayor Ude and the Greens welcomed the decision against the Maglev system. Ude spoke of a huge slap in the face for the CSU, who had, he said, tried to push ahead with a political prestige project against all economic good sense and the will of the people. Transport minister Tiefensee announced today that the Transrapid from Munich main station to the Airport will not be built due to drastically increased costs."

Ah well, if Germany can't build it who can?

(translated from German by me!)

[Pushooka]

Sory Adian, but this is a quote from a German expert on Maglev telling just why the German government has seen fit to cancel the Munich project!
From what I can tell, it's all about how deep they can put their sticky fingers into the proverbial pie! Those against the project changed the plans putting the thing underground and so much to expensive! Now they are running over sheep in tunnels with their ICE trains, maybe they will think again? But I doubt it very much!

'Quote'
All this is due to the fight of the opponents for making the train invisible by putting it underground. They finaly got what they wanted, the project became so expensive that none of the political parties is able to hold it. Furthermore it seems that the industry has no more will to fight for this project. They didn´t present any improvement, any idea, any innovation despite the fact that they knew that 3,4 billion € are the sure death of the project. They just told the figure and whatched the project dying within one morning without any atempt to save it from any one.
It is truly possible to build this maglev for 2 billion € in Munich but neither in politics, nor in the population or in the political parties maglev has enough proponents. Additionally we have the situation that in a few months bavaria holds elections and due to the US financial crisis the bank of bavaria just lost 4 billion €, more than the whole Transrapidproject would cost. The state of Bavaria had to compensate this loss and so politicians where secretly happy about the escalation of costs since they now have a good reason to kill the project without beeing made responsible for killing 30 years of development and 2 billion € of investment in this technology.

[aidanorourke]

Thanks for that explanation. It seems the German maglev will go on the list of transport projects that never happened. That would make a fascinating book! I'll just have to visit Shanghai, and copy and paste the Maglev there into Piccadilly Station, like I did with Eurostar!

[Phil Blinkhorn]

Aidan,

Its a pity you didn't get to photograph the Eurostar on its visits to Piccadilly when the driver training and train set testing was carried out around 1997 before the planned services from Manchester and Scotland were aborted .