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NEW MEANS OF TRANSPORT

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1. levitation [ləvı´tei∫n] – левитация, подъем

2. to float [fləυt] – плыть

3. vehicle [´vı:kl] – транспортное средство

4. railway station [´reılweı ´steı∫n] – (железнодорожная) станция

5. to maintain [meın´teın] – обслуживать

6. car [kα:] – (здесь) вагон

7. equipment [ı´kwıpmənt] – оборудование

8. guideway [´gaıd´weı] – направляющий путь

9. track [træk] – рельс

10. to vary [´vεərı] – изменяться

11. to support [sə´po:t] – поддерживать

12. to drive [drαıv] – приводить в движение

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MAGLEV TRAIN

A MAGLEV (magnetic levitation) train is one of the most perspective and interesting inventions of the 20^th century. It does not run along the track in the normal way. Instead, magnetic fields lift it above the track, so that the train ‘floats’ along.

Because they have no wheels, axles, suspension, dampers, or brakes, Maglev vehicles are light and compact. They are also pollution-free, as no fuel is burned within the train, and cheap to maintain.

The Maglev system at Birmingham airport carries passengers from the terminal to the railway station and the National Exhibition Centre. The cars are made of lightweight fiberglass, carried on an aluminium chassis.

All electrical equipment which powers the cars is situated under the floors or the seats. Each car can take 32 passengers and their luggage, up to the weight of 3 tonnes. The trains travel at a maximum speed of 420 km/h.

A concrete guideway above the ground supports a T-shaped track for the two-car Maglev train. The train is lifted from the track by magnetic attraction. It floats 15 mm above the track.

As people get on and off, the weight of the train varies. It may drop closer to the track than the required 15 mm, or rise further from it. To keep it at an even distance from the track, the force is varied by a microprocessor.

Each train is driven by an electric motor called a linear induction motor. Electromagnetic coils on the train generate a magnetic field. The field induces electric current in the track, which in turn generates its own magnetic field. The two fields in the track and the train interact and pull the floating train along the track.