A strong momentum has built up in Germany since March for a maglev system, with a petition signed by 44,000 Germans so far, and 2,000 from other European countries. The online petition, which aims to recruit signatures from 50,000 Germans, was launched by magnetbahn.org, an initiative of citizens who favor construction of magnetic levitation transportation. This project which would benefit Germany and also its neighbors throughout Europe. The condition of the German rail system itself is deplorable. Among its problems are that the rail bed and tracks are in bad shape; there is the absence of a high-speed grid separate from the rest of the grid; there are frequent cancellations and delays of many trains.
The petition points out that there are many technical advantages of a maglev system, such as reliability and punctuality. It gives the example of the successful record of Shanghai’s commercial track, which has racked up 28 million km in 20 years of operation, with a 99% rating for being on time. Maintenance costs for maglev are 70% lower compared to the Germany’s conventional high-speed InterCity Express (ICE), which is why tracks can last up to 100 years without major repairs, and vehicle components are maximized in their service life.
