In common with all Transrapid maglev systems, Ultraspeed consists of three main elements, all of which are fully integrated with each other:

A fixed guideway housing a long stator inear motor. This can be built at ground level, or elevated up to 20m above the ground, thus passing over existing infrastructure without complex and costly civil engineering

Transrapid vehicles, comprising up to 10 sections, which are capable of seating up to 1,200 passangers in total, although around 840 passangers per vehivle will be a UK norm. The vehicles levitate above the guideway and are steered along it by electromagnetic ‘cushions’. They are propelled and braked by variable electrical current passed through the linear motor.

A highly automated Operational Control System [OCS]. This engineers in levels of safety and reliability which are impossible to achieve in rail, air or road transport. The OCS constantly monitors every vehicle’s speed and position and adjusts propulsion power supplied through the guideway to ensure that every vehicle operates at the prescribed speed for each route section, maintains the correct separation from other vehicles and operates precisely to a timetable defined to the second.

The world’s first ultra high speed Transrapid maglev is now in regular daily service in Shanghai, China, where it has proved to be the world’s most reliable transport system, operating to 99.9989% availability and carrying millions of passengers to a timetable defined to the second.

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Views and opinions expressed by individuals and organisations at these sites are independent of UK Ultraspeed, except where it is explicitly stated that a particular statement is an official UK Ultraspeed position.