case sTUDy MAGLEV TRAINS High speed Over the years, technology has revolutionised our daily lives in many ways: new tools help us to work, study, entertain, communicate, and move from one place to another, making life easier, faster and safer. In our century, a new means of transport is likely to completely change transportation, just like airplanes did in the previous century. High speed trains have already become a reality in most developed countries, but a real revolution in this sector is being brought about by maglev trains. Pros and cons Compared to conventional trains, maglev trains have superior control and safety: even though they can reach a speed of 600 km per hour, they are able to stop quickly and produce less noise than other means of transport. What s more, they pollute less as they use electricity and can run on solar, wind, and other renewable resources. Unfortunately, even though they do not require a lot of maintenance, they cannot use existing train rails, so new infrastructures have to be built, and this makes the cost of these new trains even higher. The main characteristics of maglev trains Maglev stands for magnetic levitation; this is the technology the trains use to move instead of wheels. The trains float on a cushion of air, which eliminates friction, and electromagnets levitate the train so that it hovers just above the guideway. Magnets on top of the guideway repel magnets having the same polarity in the bottom of the maglev and this pushes the train upward into a hovering position. This system has three components: a huge electrical power source, metal coils lining a guideway or track, and large guidance magnets attached to the underside of the track. to be likely: essere probabile to bring about: determinare, causare to float: fluttuare 29 guideway: binario guida to hover: andare a mezz aria to line: ricoprire underside: parte inferiore Pair WorK Write questions for these answers about maglev trains and take turns to practise them. 1. No, they don t use wheels. They move on a cushion of air. 2. There is no friction because electromagnets levitate the train above the guideways. 3. The repulsion force of similar magnetic poles makes the train hover. 4. 600 km/h. 5. Because they use renewable resouces. 6. No, they aren t, because installation costs are high. 64 elecTriciTy