TransRapid crashed

[Skybird]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5370564.stm

The crash happened at 200 km/h. Maximum speed of this train is near 500 km/h. On that track, some 30 km long, it regularly travelled with speeds in excess of 400km/h. No driver aboard, the thing is remote-controlled. At those speeds, the human factor had to be wiped out completely.

Only the test track was build in Germany, with an option to build another line near Munich, to the airport. No more plans to build more, since these tracks are ridiculously expensive. However, Transrapid has been sold to China (one line near Shanghai).

Which leads to the queer situation that the inventor and producer of this technology - does not use it himself. Future of it in Germany is grim, which maybe is no bad thing, since these things mess up the landscape even more obviously than conventional railways. Would be too bad if it would go the same way like MP3, which had beeen invented by German Fraunhofer Institute, and for free. German companies thought it would have no future and were shy to take the risk. Today, the big business with MP3 players is made by Japanese and American manufacturers who had not payed a single cent to gain access to this technology. GGermany's mistake, Japan's/US' benefit.

The delicate detail: short time ago, the Chinese Transrapid had smoke inside the cabin, and today German transportation ministre was guest in China, trying to sell them more. The info on the desaster reached him right there, and he interrupted the visit therefore. It probably will not encourage the Chinese to buy more.

[TteFAboB]

This thing is plain scary. I'd rather swim with Sting Rays than ride it.

Have you seen the section designed to change tracks? That's a very brute solution for such a high-tech, advanced and ingenious machine.

Perhaps the simple design is the best one, but to me that swinging track is a disaster begging to happen.

Nonetheless, since this thing is ridiculously fast, perhaps in the (distant) future it could replace the regular subway trains, when the technology becomes more advanced, robust, flexible and safe. And cheaper too. That should be its place: under the ground. The suspended tracks are horrendous.

[Skybird]

The first magnet trains drove in Germany over twenty-five years ago, I think since the 70s. the technology and the TransRapid's design is said to be reliable and mellow (? "ausgereift"). what I have a problem with is that every small piece of something lying on the track could cause desaster at these high speeds. Imagine a bird hitting a fast-going airplane, and you know what callibre of desaster we are talking about.

In this case it was a maintenance unit riding the track, and the tragedy probably has been caused my human fault (giving green lights too early). That maintenance unit needs to control the entire track EVERY MORNING before normal operations begin, to be sure that not the smallest item (higher than the ride height of the train) is lying on the track. Economically, considering maintenance, and considering the high production costs, it is a nightmare. For that reason, nobody in Germany wants it (especially the tax payers). Plans for a line between Hannover and Berlin had been skipped. Munich wants a small line for prestige reasons, but only when the central government assists massively in coming up for the costs. And the manufacturers, Siemens being one of them, blackmail the government if they do not accept to build the Munich track and waste those tax moneys, they will relocate massive ammounts of their technology branch to some places outside of Germany.

[Immacolata]

Well given the disaster it is probably going extinct. Unless they can improve safety.

[joea]

I always thought this sort of thing should go underground as TteFAboB says. There has been a long-discussed proposal to build such a system in Switzerland called the "Swiss Metro" to link Geneva and Zurich in something like 30 minutes. :o It would have been built underground though.

[Skybird]

Underground - and the already ridiculously high costs would explode even more. That the train currently rides on a bridge-like elevated track, 4-5 m above the ground, is on security measure to prevent something falling on the track and blocking it. Currently it seems that it was human error indeed.It's a loced situation - it will not become cheaper when it is not sold more often, but it will not be sold mor eoften it it does not become cheaper. I think noone currnetly would be willing to bear the additional costs of building such tracks underground (which also would be visually less intrusive).

[Immacolata]

It is obvious that there is a future for this type of mass transit. The question is simply when countries are rich enough to be able to afford it.

[Oberon]

Hmmm, yes, Maglev, it's a great idea and it has been used with a reasonable degree of success in Japan and China, and has been known to be quite reliable but expensive to maintain...and when/if something does go wrong, it usually goes wrong spectacularly, they're usually most prone to fire, I do think this is the first instance of collision however.