September 22, 2006

engineering expert reacts to news of Maglev train crash in Germany

At least 23 people have died today when an elevated magnetic train crashed on a test track near Lathen in north-western Germany.

Cliff Perry from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), said:

“This is of course a test track accident, and is an indication of a technology that is still under development. The proving of safety systems and the robustness of the principle is clearly an important part of the testing.

“The system can be seen as less likely to suffer from objects on the track, since the track is elevated and not as accessible as conventional train tracks. However it is not unknown for items to become detached from all sorts of vehicles (road, train and plane) and these could create an obstruction. The very tight clearances between the train and the track required by the technology do not leave huge margins for error.

“Higher speeds increase the risk of serious consequences when something does go wrong, and the elevation of the track does make evacuation of the passengers more difficult. If a train or part of one came completely off the track at very high speed, that would, of course constitute a very destructive scenario. The “wrap around” feature of the vehicle to the track would generally help to prevent this happening.

“The overall impression caused by MAGLEV accidents at this stage is that of a technology which is still in its infancy, with some indications that its robustness is not yet fully proven. The effect of the accident on the development will depend on the view of the investors and the safety authorities, in the light of the full investigation that will no doubt take place.

“We should remember that all novel developments carry with them some risk, and a controlled balance has to be struck between the need for innovation and that risk.”