In Italy, an inexpensive Maglev system working on ordinary railway tracks has been successfully tested. The company ironlev, founded in 2017, proposed a revolutionary approach to transport, using passive magnetic forces to create an “air cushion” which physically separates the vehicle from the rails. This can significantly reduce the cost and complexity of the implementation of the system compared to traditional Maglev networks requiring large investments in a new infrastructure.
Ironlev system is focused on the use of existing railway tracks, whose total length exceeds 1.5 million kilometers around the world. In the framework of cooperation with the Veneto region, a prototype of a vehicle on magnetic sleigh was tested on a 2 km route on a railway line with a length of 2 km, which reached a specially limited speed of 70 km/h thanks to the motorized towers installed on a sleigh. The company emphasizes that changes in the infrastructure for testing were not required, which confirms the possibility of integrating technology into existing railway networks without additional investments.
The founder of Luke Cesaretti, the possibility of moving a 10-ton car with the same force that is necessary for lifting a backpack weighing 10 kg, due to the low level of friction and the characteristics of the technology, which makes the system extremely economically profitable. Further, the company plans to create a 20-ton transport facility and increase speed to 200 km/h, striving for the commercial implementation of the system as “vehicles for transporting people in order to ensure sustainable and low-noise mobility in urban conditions.”
Ironlev project can radically change the approach to public transport, offering quick, quiet and environmentally friendly solutions for mobility, which is especially true for urbanized territories. It should be noted that despite the potential high costs to rare-earth magnets, the project promises to become “extremely economically effective”, which makes it an important step towards accessible and stable urban mobility.