Outline of Capabilities
Magplanes are high speed vehicles that can be boarded at
conveniently located magports which will enable passengers to
commute short distances or travel 400 km and more.
A Magplane System consists of an elevated aluminum guideway (magway)
through which independent magnetically levitated vehicles (Magplanes)
respond to "Dynamic Scheduling" to and from conveniently located
magports. "Dynamic Scheduling" enables Magplanes to be available to
passengers using real time analysis of ticket purchases. No
passenger will have to wait more than fifteen minutes and yet most
trips will be non-stop. A
Magplane resembles a wingless airplane that floats 10 cm above an
elevated "magway" trough. A Magplane ride will be smoother and more
comfortable than a plane. Magplanes are sized to carry from 80 to
250 passengers and can be designed to carry priority freight.
Priority freight traffic is anticipated to greatly increase with the
expansion of e-commerce.
Magways are light structures that follow highways and arc gracefully
around and over interchanges. Magports can be located at malls,
downtown centers, office and industrial parks, airports and vacation
sites. In other words, where people live, work, shop and play.
The elevated magway can be built above or adjacent to existing
highways and therefore the environmental impact is minimal.
Magplanes carry no fuel, emit no fumes or noise, and the individual
vehicles need only one tenth the wayside power necessary for the
acceleration of conventional high speed electric trains. A
large size intercity Magplane can carry 175 passengers and attains
its cruising speed in 1.5 km. At a head way of 60 seconds this
permits a capacity of 10,000 passengers per hour each way, and with
three coupled vehicles, capacity on high-density routes can be up to
three times higher. This can be compared to a light rail system with
about 10,000 passengers per hour, and highway lanes of about 3,000
passengers per hour.
A Magplane System can reduce the need for more highways. Personal
mobility may no longer be constrained by greater travel demands
aggravating gridlocked highways, airports and airways, and adding to
air and noise pollution.
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