Indian Railways to run magnetic trains soon

Rail ministry has floated a tender to explore possibility of Maglev trains in India, which can hit 500 kmph

Shine Jacob | New Delhi August 9, 2016 

In China’s Shanghai, Maglev trains such as the one above, are running commercially covering 38 kilometers. Picture courtesy: YouTube

Soon, 500 kilometer-per-hour trains may become a reality in India, asIndian Railways is mulling options to run trains on magnetic tracks in the country. The Suresh Prabhu-led railways ministry has floated a tender on August 4 to explore the opportunities of Maglevtrains in India, which can hit 500 kmph. Maglev is a transport method that uses magnetic levitation to move vehicles without touching the ground. The maglev floats above the track on a “cushion” of magnetic field.

With maglev, a vehicle travels along a guideway using magnets to create both lift and propulsion, thereby reducing friction by a great extent and allowing very high speeds. Magnets on the track push and lift the maglev up in air by about one inch to six inches. These “track” magnets are controlled by a computers which keep shifting forward the magnetic force of the “track” magnets so that the MAGLEV is pulled forward. 

In China’s Shanghai, Maglev trains are running commercially covering 38 kilometers. New technologies are also coming up to decrease the power consumption of magnets that lift the maglev by using liquid nitrogen or similar gases.