Magnetic levitation systems assessment from transport engineering point of view: Background and future prospects

This article reviews and summarizes the technological characteristics of magnetic levitation (Ma-glev) transport systems from a transport engineering point of view, providing a summary of the international state of the art, research activities and most significant applications over the last five decades. The main development phases of the Maglev systems are included and illustrated in the broader context of the evolutionary process of the railway transport system. This paper aims to categorize and clearly explain the ba-sic principles, technologies and application fields of different Maglev transportation systems. Performances, potentials and limits of Maglev systems are analyzed in comparison with those of traditional wheel-on-rail based ones. Additionally, Maglev research needs are included. Particular attention is paid to Maglev systems based on high critical temperature superconductivity technology: on this, the Italian and Chinese experiences are reported. Finally, the current research frontier focused on the development of futuristic evacuated tube transport (ETT) systems with very high speed (close to 1,000 km/h) Maglev vehicles is examined. In this respect, the potential and the main scientific and technological aspects that still need to be explored and resolved are highlighted.