FDOT OKs American Maglev?s Orlando airport-to-I-Drive route

[Caesar La Rock]

It’s been a long wait for American Maglev Technology Inc.’s Tony Morris — but he’s got the first approval toward making his elevated magnetic-levitation train system a reality.

The Florida Department of Transportation on May 19 awarded Morris’ Georgia firm the opportunity to lease rights of way between Orlando International Airport and the Orange County Convention Center for a fixed-guideway transportation system.

This now clears the way for American Maglev to begin working on the $315 million, 40-mile first phase of its system, which would create 60 high-wage jobs. Subsequent phases of the overall $800 million project would connect to Lake Nona’s Medical City and the Walt Disney World area, which would create hundreds of jobs.

The new system also would provide a much-needed alternative transportation mode for the busy International Drive tourist corridor, which gets bogged down with traffic especially during big meetings and conventions.

Read more: Source

 

[Caesar La Rock]

A friend of mine on Facebook told me about this happening, being talked about, and it being approved. It now has made it to the news.

 

[beautifulplanet]

To many, this might come as a little bit of a surprise.

The last things one could read about All American Maglev within the last year were that the Maglev train system still does not satisfy the safety tests it needs to, as it is a new technology and not some proven system already in public operation somewhere else.

For example last July, there was this article about All American Maglev in Orlando:

Maglev train needs more tests, expert says
July 7, 2013

By Dan Tracy, Orlando Sentinel

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2013-07-07/business/os-maglev-state-analysis-20130707_1_american-maglev-technology-levitated-train-orlando-international-airport

After two days of talking with American Maglev officials and riding the train in April, Thompson [who was part of a technical evalutor team of FDOT] concluded the system works — at least up to 17 mph, the top speed he experienced. But in a report only recently made public, he said he needs to see more documentation and records about American Maglev's operations and background before offering an endorsement.

He also said the train lacks devices to keep it from swaying from side to side as it rounds a turn or is buffeted by high winds. That could be dangerous, he said, likening the shortcoming to a car with no shock absorbers.

"That remains to be tested," Thompson said.

And it continues:

The expressway authority's chairman, Walter Ketcham, who has reviewed a computerized presentation by Thompson, said he needs to see more from Morris and the train before his board could give a green light.

"I want to be sure it's safe in all aspects," said Ketcham, who added he would likely withhold any endorsement unless he saw the train safely moving at 50 mph to 60 mph — the highest speeds it is projected to hit in south Orlando.

Some people might be wondering: So have these technical problems really been fully solved now? Otherwise, what sense does it make for FDOT to give American Maglev the opportunity to lease the rights of way already now, when it could not even show yet that it technology works, and works safely under all circumstances?

Insignificant PS: Why do media outlets so often - like Orlando Business Journal in the link above - show a German Transrapid maglev train and track design, with Deutsche Bahn livery, while writing about All American Maglev's Orlando system?

 

[Paulus]

Insignificant PS: Why do media outlets so often - like Orlando Business Journal in the link above - show a German Transrapid maglev train and track design, with Deutsche Bahn livery, while writing about All American Maglev's Orlando system?

Because American maglev proposals are generally using Transrapid's technology

 

[MikefromCrete]

Maglev _ what a waste of time and energy for a short distance route. Steel wheels on steel rails would be just as good, cost a lot less and the time for a trip wouldn't be that much difference.

 

[Caesar La Rock]

Maglev _ what a waste of time and energy for a short distance route. Steel wheels on steel rails would be just as good, cost a lot less and the time for a trip wouldn't be that much difference.

It's a bit too early to tell how this will work out. Though, Disney's monorail gets up to 40mph, but has a top speed of 55. Reading that article, they did mention other places they want to bring the maglev to.

 

[George Harris]

Maglev and monorail are completely different animals.

 

[Caesar La Rock]

Maglev and monorail are completely different animals.

That's true, but the point I neglected to mention was we don't know how this will operate. It's kind of hard to determine how something will work until it's built, which brings me into this. Because this project is fully funded without using public money, it could take up to 18 months to complete from what I was told.

 

[beautifulplanet]

Insignificant PS: Why do media outlets so often - like Orlando Business Journal in the link above - show a German Transrapid maglev train and track design, with Deutsche Bahn livery, while writing about All American Maglev's Orlando system?

Because American maglev proposals are generally using Transrapid's technology

Was the irony smiley just missing after that sentence?

Here is an impression of American Maglev's technology to be employed in Orlando:

http://american-maglev.com/maglev/

Here is a video impression of the Transrapid technology already in use in public service for a decade in Shanghai:

http://www.transrapid.de/real/mpeg/ShAirportLine_EN.mpg

To many it might seem, like Transrapid technology will not be used in Orlando...

 

[jis]

Why would Maglev be any more or less zero emission than electrified bi-rail?

 

[George Harris]

Why would Maglev be any more or less zero emission than electrified bi-rail?

Should be obvious that it won't. The electricity has to be made somewhere somehow. This thought seems to be overlooked. Witness all the discussion on the wonders of electric cars.

In fact, it may be the opposite. A discussion in the Railway Gazette on the Japansese currently planned maglev said that energy consumption would be somewhere in the range of three times that of the existing railway.

The picture in the americanmaglev was so blanked out in the area beyond the platform it was hard to tell, but they may be looking as something more on the order of the Japanese maglev where the vehicle is inside the guideway rather than the German system where the vehicle wraps around the guideway. With the German system I would be very interested in seeing how they manage to satisfy requirements for safety walks and evacuation pathways. I don't see one that would be easy or pretty.

 

[MattW]

Actually it seems as if the vehicle wraps around the guideway, but as their site says, the active magnets are inside the vehicle rather than the guideway unlike the Transrapid technology. But it does make sense that there's less energy spent, to me anyways. With conventional wheel technology, there's rolling resistance and air resistance, with the maglev, there's only air resistance to worry about so I assume that's why they can claim the savings over electric trains.

 

[Paulus]

It's somewhat more energy efficient, but it's the emissions thing that is under question. It's no more zero emissions than any other electrically powered transportation is (which they can be, but there is nothing intrinsic to maglev that makes it different).

 

[Anderson]

I'm going to slide this over to commuter rail, both due to the operating speed and the limited size of the system.

 

[George Harris]

MattW and Paulus: I am quoting the Railway Gazette on that "three times the energy consumption" That is their statement not mine. Presumably it is based on Japanese research and experience with Maglev. I can think of a few things that would result in higher energy consumption.

First: Aerodynamic resistance is solely related to vehicle shape, smoothness, etc. and has nothing to do with system of propulsion. At high speeds the overwhelming majority of rolling resistance, which in this case we should probably cause resistance to movement is aerodynamic. The faster you go the higher the proportion as aerodynamic resistance increases as it is based on V^2 instead of just V.

The other two factors in rolling resistance are:

A relatively small constant which is presumably based on internal friction in the propulsion and suspension system.

A factor directly proportional to speed which is considered related to track deflection and movement in the vehicle suspension and power system.

These last two are relatively small at higher speed.

What consumes energy in Maglev and not wheel on rail system is the energy required to support the vehicle above the guideway. This is significant and I would suspect a major reason for the increased energy consumption of this system. Also since a certain amount of energy at low speeds is the rubber tires on guideway support necessary until the speed in high enough for levitation of the vehicle.

There may be issues with energy transmission, as well but my knowledge there is zero.

 

[Caesar La Rock]

Okay guys, more news on this project. There is six proposed station stops, with the Florida Mall being one of them.

http://m.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2014/06/13/on-track-american-maglev-reveals-details-on-6.html?ana=e_orl_bn_exclusive&u=le1O48c4zijx0ETR5Sf%2Fng0d04608e&t=1402685917&r=full

 

[Anderson]

Hmm...it might be worth trying to get SunRail and these guys on the same page to get a stop near Orange and Sand Lake. If the Maglev folks aren't married to the Beeline median, getting them to jog a few blocks north would add a lot of connectivity. Failing that, doing something to move the SunRail stop south to cut the walk (the walk is 10-15 minutes and involves crossing a major road) would likely be worth it in terms of connectivity since the Maglev+SunRail would get you downtown as well. This would at least seem to be in the interests of both SunRail and the Maglev folks.

Edit: A lot of this is predicated on the Maglev actually happening, of course, and I wouldn't put much towards it until it is clear that it will. With that said, if this turns into a way to put a "quickie" connection in between the airport and downtown I'd be all for it, at least as a measure pending an "actual" Sunrail link to the airport (which may or may not be in the cards amid other possible projects).