SNCF: Soon Maglev Trains Traveling at 550 km/h in France?

Faster than the TGV, SNCF is considering magnetic levitation trains to reach 550 km/h and connect Paris to Marseille in two hours.

On one hand, daily trains and regional lines require significant investment in the coming years. However, SNCF has not forgotten its flagship, the high-speed train or TGV. Already, the new “TGV M” generation is undergoing testing, and the future technology is in development: that of Maglev trains.

A future train still under study

The French group has indeed signed a letter of intent with Nevomo. This Polish company is developing Maglev train technology (MAGgnetic LEVitation) or magnetic levitation, under the name Magrail. Instead of running on wheels on rails, these trains create a magnetic field so powerful that they hover a few centimeters above the rails. It is the same technology as the Hyperloop, without the vacuum underground tunnels.

The agreement aims here to study “the benefits of Magrail on the French railway network, in order to increase efficiency and capacity for passenger and freight transport.” According to Luc Laroche, SNCF’s innovation director, this train could “increase capacities on congested urban lines.” More surprisingly, he believes that Nevomo’s Magrail is “an alternative for regional lines, in combination with light trains”, like the future TLI.

Contrary to Hyperloop, which aims for a parallel network, Magrail adapts to current rails. Nevomo also claims it can operate them “automatically,” meaning “without human error.”

Paris-Marseille in 2 hours?

While Hyperloop promises speeds exceeding 1,000 km/h, Nevomo is more pragmatic with 550 km/h. This is still much faster than TGVs, which run at just over 300 km/h. With this performance gain, the current Paris-Marseille trip of about 3h30 could be reduced to just 2 hours. The technology could also be used for freight transport, as shown in the image below.

Don’t yet dream of “traveling” at this speed for your next vacation in France, as the project is still at the feasibility study stage. However, it already exists in China, where a train connecting Shanghai airport to the city center has been operating for 20 years at over 430 km/h! And in Japan, the famous Shinkansen local train is expected to switch to Maglev technology by 2027 to connect Tokyo to Nagoya at 500 km/h.

Read also: Railcoop: Lyon-Bordeaux train available from summer 2024