MaDe4Rail emerging maglev-derived systems

The MaDe4Rail project, valued at EUR 1.4 million and involving 12 partners, is set to explore the integration of maglev-derived systems (MDS) into Europe’s existing rail infrastructure. The project's aim is to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and technical-economic performance of MDS, with the potential to revolutionize the transport landscape by enhancing efficiency and sustainability. Giuseppe Carcasi, the project coordinator, emphasizes that the MaDe4Rail project will address current mobility trends, demographic shifts, and the growing emphasis on sustainability and digitalization.

The project focuses on three main objectives: technology exploration and standardization, impact assessment, and fostering the development of MDS technologies. Initially, it aims to understand the state of existing technologies, define a common system architecture, and identify standardization needs. The impact assessment will evaluate the technical and socioeconomic feasibility of MDS, proposing potential implementation roadmaps. The third objective is to advance technologies to higher readiness levels, accelerating market readiness and ensuring comprehensive integration within new transport systems.

MaDe4Rail's approach involves integrating maglev-based levitation and propulsion technologies into the existing rail infrastructure, enhancing technological, functional, and performance aspects while ensuring interoperability with traditional trains. This strategy aims to upgrade the railway system cost-effectively and efficiently, reducing implementation time and costs. The project envisions higher frequencies, reduced headways, and flexible business models, promoting a substantial modal shift towards collective transport systems, thereby increasing sustainability and reducing noise, vibration, and pollution.

MaDe4Rail significantly contributes to the European Green Deal and the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy by prioritizing the reuse of existing infrastructure, reducing deployment costs, and improving resource utilization. Socially, it enhances territorial cohesion and socioeconomic development by improving connections between small and big cities. Environmentally, it aims to reduce pollution and energy consumption, facilitating the electrification of railways. The project’s outcomes, expected by the summer of 2024, will include a roadmap for MDS integration, technological feasibility studies, and designs for a maglev-derived vehicle prototype, guiding the future deployment of innovative transportation solutions in Europe.