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Tuesday, Aug. 11, 1998
Magnetic train proposals get on track
Federal funds to go to studying high-speed, levitating rail car system
By ANICK JASDANUN
Associated PressWASHINGTON -- To businessman Fred Gurney, a 310-mph train levitating above a monorail guideway isn't just science fiction talk.
Gurney heads one of several projects trying to bring high-speed magnetic levitation trains to the United States -- efforts boosted this summer by a law authorizing $1 billion in federal money to explore and construct a ``maglev'' segment.
``There's a lot of renewed interest because the funding level is there,'' Gurney said. ``It's an exciting opportunity.'' President and chief executive of Maglev Inc., he wants to build a line from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia.
Across the country, supporters are reviving proposals that have languished for years for lack of money. Nevada, California, Maryland and Florida are among the states with systems under consideration, and preliminary discussions are under way for lines to connect New York City with New England and Atlanta with Chattanooga, Tenn.
The new transportation law sets aside at least $55 million for various regions to conduct maglev feasibility and other studies. The Department of Transportation then would designate one project as eligible for $950 million.
The Federal Railroad Administration will solicit proposals in a few weeks and tentatively plans to choose about five in January for further study. The construction go-ahead could come in 2001.
``It's much further along than a dream,'' said Phyllis Wilkins, executive director of Maglev Maryland, a public-private partnership in Baltimore. ``One day, people will get on a maglev (from Washington, D.C.) to go to New York for dinner.''
Pittsburgh to Philadelphia might take two hours, compared with eight hours on Amtrak. A trip from Baltimore to Washington could take 16 minutes, compared with 40 to 50 minutes by conventional rail.
Maglev systems, already being tested in Germany and Japan, use electromagnets to lift the train above ground and free it of speed-reducing friction.
Maglev runs on basic magnetic principles: When two magnets are put together, opposite poles attract, similar ones repel.
The German technology uses magnetic attraction to lift the train car less than an inch above the guideway. A Japanese prototype uses magnetic repulsion to lift the car about 4 inches. In both cases, the train moves as the magnetic field travels along the guideway.
The maglev concept has been around for decades, and two Americans were granted a patent in 1968 on a maglev train design. Suspension of federal research funding in 1975 allowed Germany and Japan to take the lead in development.
Efforts to build a U.S. system were revived in the late 1980s. A 1991 transportation law authorized $725 million for maglev, but Congress appropriated little of the money. Proponents say lawmakers are giving broader support this time.
But many transportation experts remain skeptical.
A 20-mile test segment has been operational for several years in Germany, but the concept is largely unproven from a revenue-producing standpoint.
``Maglev is not ready for prime time,'' said Bill Withuhn, curator of transportation for the Smithsonian Institution. ``You've got wonderful potential . . . but the market questions are unknown.''
Eugene Skoropowski is deputy project director for Florida Overland Express, a private consortium proposing to run a conventional high-speed rail system connecting Miami, Orlando and Tampa. He said maglev was considered but was found to be financially risky.
``There is no commercially operating maglev system anywhere in the world,'' he said. ``Investors are a conservative group of people, who want to see a proven track record.''
To skeptics, Las Vegas Councilman Arnie Adamsen says: ``You could have said that about airplanes and the space shuttle and everything else.'' He is pushing a maglev link connecting Las Vegas with Los Angeles.Post your comments about local news eventsFront Page || Main Index || News || Business || Texas || South Texas Outdoors || Birdwatching || Sports || Entertainment || Selena || Education || South Texas Attractions || World Wide Web