Science fiction becomes reality this month as the first daily service of a passenger-carrying magnetic levitation transportation system becomes operational at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. In Maglev trains, opposing magnetic fields generated by the train and track repel each other, keeping the train floating a few centimeters in the air and enabling it to reach speeds up to 476 km per hour, significantly faster than conventional trains. The technology has been around for awhile, but apart from several prototypes in Europe and Japan, Maglev trains have never left the drawing board due to their high construction costs compared to other forms of transportation.
The $14 million Old Dominion system won’t reach peak Maglev speeds. The 12-ton train will float along at 64 kph down a 1-km long elevated metal track, and will stop every few minutes at the university’s dorms, parking garage, and student union. The engineering department...
