The German maglev developer and producer Max Bögl, probably before the end of the year or at least early next year, will present its design for a container freight system on maglev basis, on the company-owned test track at Sengenthal. The company, which has already developed a maglev for passenger transport, the TSB (Transport System Bögl), wants to replace the passenger cars either by a steel frame for containers, or another arrangement that allows the transport of freight.
The envisaged container maglev is designed for shorter-distance freight transports, for instance from sea ports to nearby logistics centers. The system would be fully automated and offer a capacity of transporting a container every 20 seconds, which implied a capacity of 4,000 containers daily. Bögl considers it will have the freight maglev ready for commercial use in five years, maybe less. The freight maglev would run at maximum speeds of 150 kph. Going into commercial use would require an official certificate by the Federal Railway Authority, which recently already granted a certificate for passenger transport for the TSB.
In addition to its 800 meter test track in Sengenthal, Bögl also operates a 3.5 km test track length in Chengdu, China. A freight maglev would also interest the Chinese.
