University of California Transportation Center

Magnetic levitation is the first truly new transportation technology in one hundred years and comes at a time when advances in transportation are sorely needed. The German Transrapid magnetic levitation train is the first commercially available system to use this technology. Based on technology that originated in the United States, the Transrapid system has been under development for approximately 15 years in Germany. During the last decade a number of serious proposals have been made for its use in the United States and Germany. However, to date, non have left the planning stage and all remain speculative at best. This is a function of the high level of risk associated with such a new technology, which has yet to prove itself in commercial operations, despite holding great promise for high levels of service.