The SCMaglev (superconducting maglev, formerly called the MLU) is a magnetic levitation (
maglev
Maglev (derived from '' magnetic levitation''), is a system of train transportation that uses two sets of electromagnets: one set to repel and push the train up off the track, and another set to move the elevated train ahead, taking advantage ...
)
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
system developed by
Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) and the
Railway Technical Research Institute
, or , is the technical research company under the Japan Railways group of companies.
Overview
RTRI was established in its current form in 1986 just before Japanese National Railways (JNR) was privatised and split into separate JR group compani ...
.
On 21 April 2015, a manned seven-car
L0 Series
The is a high-speed maglev train that the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) is developing and testing. JR Central plans to use the L0 series on the Chūō Shinkansen railway line between Tokyo and Osaka, which is under construction ...
SCMaglev train reached a speed of , less than a week after the same train clocked , breaking the previous
land speed record for rail vehicles
The world record for a conventional wheeled passenger train is held by France's TGV (''Train à Grande Vitesse''), set in 2007 when it reached on a section of track.
Japan's experimental maglev train L0 Series achieved on a 42.8 km ma ...
of set by a JR Central MLX01 maglev train in December 2003.
Technology
The SCMaglev system uses an
electrodynamic suspension
Electrodynamic suspension (EDS) is a form of magnetic levitation in which there are conductors which are exposed to time-varying magnetic fields. This induces eddy currents in the conductors that creates a repulsive magnetic field which holds the ...
(EDS) system. The trains'
bogies have
superconducting
Superconductivity is a set of physical properties observed in certain materials where electrical resistance vanishes and magnetic flux fields are expelled from the material. Any material exhibiting these properties is a superconductor. Unlike ...
magnets installed, and the guideways contain two sets of metal coils.
The current levitation system utilizes a series of coils wound into a "figure 8" along both walls of the guideway. These coils are also cross-connected underneath the track.
As the train accelerates, the magnetic fields of its superconducting magnets induce a current into these coils due to the
magnetic field induction effect. If the train were centered with the coils, the electrical potential would be balanced and no currents would be induced. However, as the train runs on rubber wheels at relatively low speeds, the magnetic fields are positioned below the center of the coils, causing the electrical potential to no longer be balanced. This creates a reactive magnetic field opposing the superconducting magnet's pole (in accordance with
Lenz's law
Lenz's law states that the direction of the electric current induced in a conductor by a changing magnetic field is such that the magnetic field created by the induced current opposes changes in the initial magnetic field. It is named after p ...
), and a pole above that attracts it. Once the train reaches , there is sufficient current flowing to lift the train above the guideway.
These coils also generate guiding and stabilizing forces. Because they are cross-connected underneath the guideway, if the train moves off-center, currents are induced into the connections that correct its positioning.
SCMaglev also utilizes a
linear synchronous motor
A linear motor is an electric motor that has had its stator and rotor "unrolled", thus, instead of producing a torque ( rotation), it produces a linear force along its length. However, linear motors are not necessarily straight. Characteristic ...
(LSM) propulsion system, which powers a second set of coils in the guideway.
History
Japanese National Railways
The abbreviated JNR or , was the business entity that operated Japan's national railway network from 1949 to 1987.
Network Railways
As of June 1, 1949, the date of establishment of JNR, it operated of narrow gauge () railways in all 46 pref ...
(JNR) began research on a linear propulsion railway system in 1962 with the goal of developing a train that could travel between
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
and
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...
in one hour. Shortly after
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory located in Upton, Long Island, and was formally established in 1947 at the site of Camp Upton, a former U.S. Army base and Japanese internment c ...
patented superconducting magnetic levitation technology in the United States in 1969, JNR announced development of its own superconducting maglev (SCMaglev) system. The railway made its first successful SCMaglev run on a short track at its Railway Technical Research Institute in 1972.
JR Central plans on exporting the technology, pitching it to potential buyers.
Miyazaki test track
In 1977, SCMaglev testing moved to a new 7 km test track in
Hyūga, Miyazaki
is a port city in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on April 1, 1951, with the joint merger of Tomishima Town and Iwawaki Village. , the city has an estimated population of 60,037 making it the 4th largest city in Miyazaki Prefectur ...
. By 1980, the track was modified from a "reverse-T" shape to the "U" shape used today. In April 1987, JNR was privatized, and
Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) took over SCMaglev development.
In 1989, JR Central decided to build a better testing facility with tunnels, steeper gradients, and curves.
After the company moved maglev tests to the new facility, the company's Railway Technical Research Institute began to allow testing of
ground effect train
A ground effect train is a conceptualized alternative to a magnetic levitation (maglev) train. In both cases the objective is to prevent the vehicle from making contact with the ground. Whereas a maglev train accomplishes this through the use of ...
s, an alternate technology based on
aerodynamic
Aerodynamics, from grc, ἀήρ ''aero'' (air) + grc, δυναμική (dynamics), is the study of the motion of air, particularly when affected by a solid object, such as an airplane wing. It involves topics covered in the field of fluid dyn ...
interaction between the train and the ground, at the Miyazaki Test Track in 1999.
Yamanashi maglev test line
Construction of the Yamanashi maglev test line began in 1990. The "priority section" of the line in
Tsuru, Yamanashi
Tsuru city center area
is a city located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 30,311 in 13079 households, and a population density of 190 persons per km2. The total area of the city is .
Geography
Tsuru is ...
, opened in 1997. MLX01 trains were tested there from 1997 to fall 2011, when the facility was closed to extend the line to and to upgrade it to commercial specifications.
Commercial use
Japan
In 2009, Japan's
decided that the SCMaglev system was ready for commercial operation. In 2011, the ministry gave JR Central permission to operate the SCMaglev system on their planned
Chūō Shinkansen
The is a Japanese maglev line under construction between Tokyo and Nagoya, with plans for extension to Osaka. Its initial section is between Shinagawa Station in Tokyo and Nagoya Station in Nagoya, with stations in Sagamihara, Kōfu, Iida ...
linking Tokyo and
Nagoya
is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most po ...
by 2027, and to Osaka by 2037. Construction is currently underway.
United States
Since 2010, JR Central has promoted the SCMaglev system in international markets, particularly the
Northeast Corridor of the United States, as the
Northeast Maglev
Northeast Maglev or The Northeast Maglev, LLC, is a private U.S. company proposing a Superconducting Maglev (SCMAGLEV) train system in the Northeastern United States. Using technology developed by the Central Japan Railway Company, the Northea ...
.
In 2013,
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
Shinzō Abe
Shinzo Abe ( ; ja, 安倍 晋三, Hepburn: , ; 21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 20 ...
met with the 44th U.S. President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
and offered to provide the first portion of the SC Maglev track free, a distance of approximately 40 miles. In 2016, the Federal Railroad Administration awarded $27.8 million to the Maryland Department of Transportation to prepare preliminary engineering and NEPA analysis for an SCMaglev train between Baltimore, MD, and Washington, DC.
Australia
In late 2015, JR Central partnered with
Mitsui
is one of the largest ''keiretsu'' in Japan and one of the largest corporate groups in the world.
The major companies of the group include Mitsui & Co. ( general trading company), Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Nippon Paper Industries ...
and
General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable en ...
in Australia to form a joint venture named
Consolidated Land and Rail Australia to provide a commercial funding model using private investors that could build the SC Maglev (linking Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne), create 8 new self-sustaining inland cities linked to the high speed connection, and contribute to the community.
Vehicles
* 1972 – LSM200
* 1972 – ML100
* 1975 – ML100A
* 1977 – ML500
* 1979 – ML500R (remodeled ML500)
* 1980 – MLU001
* 1987 – MLU002
* 1993 – MLU002N
* 1995 – MLX01 (MLX01-1, 11, 2)
* 1997 – MLX01 (MLX01-3, 21, 12, 4)
* 2002 – MLX01 (MLX01-901, 22)
* 2009 – MLX01 (MLX01-901A, 22A: remodeled 901 and 22)
* 2013 –
L0 Series Shinkansen
The is a high-speed maglev train that the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) is developing and testing. JR Central plans to use the L0 series on the Chūō Shinkansen railway line between Tokyo and Osaka, which is under construction.
T ...
* 2020 – Revised
L0 Series Shinkansen
The is a high-speed maglev train that the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) is developing and testing. JR Central plans to use the L0 series on the Chūō Shinkansen railway line between Tokyo and Osaka, which is under construction.
T ...
Records
Manned records
Unmanned records
Relative passing speed records
See also
*
MAGLEV 2000
Maglev (derived from '' magnetic levitation''), is a system of train transportation that uses two sets of electromagnets: one set to repel and push the train up off the track, and another set to move the elevated train ahead, taking advantage ...
*
Transrapid
Transrapid is a German-developed high-speed monorail train using magnetic levitation. Planning for the Transrapid system started in 1969 with a test facility for the system in Emsland, Germany completed in 1987. In 1991, technical readi ...
*
Krauss-Maffei Transurban
Krauss-Maffei's Transurban was a 12-passenger automated guideway transit (AGT) mass transit system based on a maglev guideway. Development started in 1970 as one of the many AGT and PRT projects that followed in the wake of the HUD reports of 196 ...
-
Electromagnetic suspension technology had been transferred from
Krauss-Maffei
KraussMaffei is a German manufacturer of injection molding machines, machines for plastics extrusion technology, and reaction process machinery. It was acquired by ChemChina in 2016.
History Locomotives
KraussMaffei was formed in 1931 from a me ...
.
*
ROMAG ROMAG was a personal rapid transit (PRT) system produced by the American company Rohr, Inc. It featured a linear induction motor that was arranged to provide both traction and suspension in a magnetic levitation system.
ROMAG was developed from a ...
*
Inductrack
Inductrack is a passive, fail-safe electrodynamic magnetic levitation system, using only unpowered loops of wire in the track and perslide magnets (arranged into Halbach arrays) on the vehicle to achieve magnetic levitation. The track can be in on ...
References
*
Further reading
*
*
External links
SCMAGLEV WebsiteCentral Japan Railway Company SCMAGLEV Official WebsiteThe Northeast MaglevSCMaglev trainsU.S.-Japan MAGLEVProject information by The International Maglev Board
{{DEFAULTSORT:JR-Maglev
Electric railways in Japan
Experimental and prototype high-speed trains
Land speed record rail vehicles
Maglev
Magnetic propulsion devices