Maglev Monitor
Midweek Morning MagLev Messenger (2025-06-25) Miscellaneous & Various Items
Interesting and background stories. All these less-important stories are in two semi-weekly e-mails, so each of you is not bothered by a lot of e-mails, and you can select which you want to read, and which you choose to ignore. This "MagLev Monitor" is issued Wednesday morning as this Midweek Morning MagLev Messenger (4M), and also late Saturday as the Saturday Evening Repost (SER).
This newsletter covers Superconducting MagLev, and more. It also covers competing technologies, such as EVs, hydrogen, and aviation. We won't forget the past, covering classic railways, and what lessons they can give us. And, of course, the Jigsaw Puzzles, for fun.
For this midweek, I'm emphasizing mass-transit.
My website: http://www.LeviCar.com/
Maglev2000 website: https://www.maglev2000.net/
Mass Transit:
Jamaica station could become Amtrak’s second NYC stop under new proposal
https://qns.com/2025/06/jamaica-station-amtrak-second-nyc-stop-proposal/
Making Amtrak more convenient for people in Queens, and also providing a link to LGA and JFK for people on the NEC.
MTA plans to untangle one of NYC's worst subway bottlenecks (in Brooklyn)
https://gothamist.com/news/mta-plans-to-untangle-one-of-nycs-worst-subway-bottlenecks
MTA to swap F and M train routes across the East River, simplifying service (in Queens & Manhatan)
This is a partial restoration of how things were when I was young, the E & F trains sharing their tracks all the way from Jamaica into Manhattan, and then splitting — "F" going down Sixth Avenue ("F" being the sixth letter), and "E" going down Eighth Avenue. At least that's the mnemonic I used when I was a teenager.
IBX North: A Bridge to Harlem and LGA
https://www.vanshnookenraggen.com/_index/2025/06/ibx-north-a-bridge-to-harlem-and-lga/
IBX North: A Bridge to Harlem and LGA – vanshnookenraggen
Caption: “The NEC corridor is home to major hospitals and institutions as well. With over 100,000 jobs in a one-mile radius around the corridor [Source: OnTheMap], it’s probably the most important transit corridor *not currently* served by transit (the 5 and 6 trains are both over a half mile away.) This, of course, is changing with the Penn Station Access (PSA) project that will upgrade the corridor ...” (www.vanshnookenraggen.com)
The IBX is the Interborough Express, repurposing an old freight line into a light-rail line connecting Brooklyn and Queens. Currently, most NYC subway lines (except the G line and the shuttles) are radial, going in and out of Manhattan. This would be circumferential, not going into Manhattan at all. See MTA's article and the Wikipedia article.
The article above describes what it would take to extend the IBX into northern Manhattan, perhaps twenty years from now. It describes all the technical problems there would be implementing it, like avoiding the interceptor sewer line that encircles the western part of Queens. IMHO — this could be an opportunity for us to describe how the extension could be better built using P/D MagLev. The first phase of IBX would, of course, be soon built as a conventional light rail, and MagLev vehicles could run on it, in twenty years, using MERRI. Food for thought. Any takers?
Op-Ed: Shrinking Sound Transit’s Oversized Stations Could Save Hundreds of Millions
Op-Ed: Shrinking Sound Transit’s Oversized Stations Could Save Hundreds of Millions - The Urbanist
Caption: “Sound Transit diverges from international standards by building oversized underground stations that add hundreds of millions in costs to little benefit. Overhauling the agency’s planning framework to promote more efficient designs could help keep projects on track as they face massive financial strain.” (www.theurbanist.org)
Like the previous article, this is heavy on the engineering. It goes to great length to describe how American mass-transit rail projects are overbuilding the stations, particularly compared to European efforts. Overbuilding stations is a major reason such mass-transit projects are so expensive. One of my readers suggested this is due to corruption, with the architectural, engineering, and construction companies just trying to "pad" their bills to make more money, at the public's expense. IMHO — Early MagLev guideways will have depots that are similar to current rail stations. In fact, using MERRI, they are likely to BE current rail stations adapted for MagLev use. However, as the technology matures, we'll start to take advantage of smaller, more flexible vehicles arriving at greater frequency, which will call for something radically different than today's stations. It might be desirable to have MagLev depots act as community hubs, with shopping and restaurants.
Congestion pricing has transformed New York City streets – but can it survive Trump?
The first of its kind in the US, a new traffic toll in Manhattan has produced impressive early results while facing looming challenges
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2025/jun/16/new-york-congestion-pricing
Congestion Pricing works. It not only subsidizes mass transit, it makes city buses faster, cuts pollution, reduces traffic in northwestern Queens (adjacent to but not part of the congestion zone), and has been a boon to several kinds of businesses. I think this is my last article about Congestion Pricing.
Port Authority breaks ground on new Newark Airport train station access facility
Amtrak Faces Major Delays as Extreme Heat Triggers Restrictions
https://www.railway.supply/en/amtrak-faces-major-delays-as-extreme-heat-triggers-restrictions/
Quote: "Rail temperatures above 128°F can cause track warping, which poses a risk to both operations and passengers."
IMHO — Since P/D MagLev works on much looser physical tolerances (4" ≅ 10cm), it should be much more tolerant of heat-related distortions to the guideway.
Port Authority breaks ground on new Newark Airport train station access facility
10 Most Beautiful Train Stations in America (From Grand Central to Hidden Gems)
https://www.aol.com/10-most-beautiful-train-stations-141954986.html
America's Most Beautiful Amtrak Station Is Also Its Most Underrated
https://www.thetravel.com/americas-most-beautiful-amtrak-station-is-also-its-most-underrated/
I have often visited this station. See jigsaw puzzle, below.
Amtrak Offers Preview of New ‘Cascades’ Trains
https://railfan.com/amtrak-offers-preview-of-new-cascades-trains/
Siemens Charger: A New Dawn for North American Passenger Rail, or the Status Quo Made New?
A Mining Company Built A Battery-Electric Train That Never Has To Be Charged Because It Only Carries Its Load Downhill
Clever idea.
“NASA Eyes Game-Changing Breakthrough”: These Sodium-Air Fuel Cells Could Soon Power Full-Size Passenger Jets Across Continents
In a groundbreaking development for sustainable aviation
I'd prefer ground-based MagLev vs. short-haul flights.
This EV battery fully recharges in just 18 seconds — and it just got the green light for mass production
The British VarEVolt battery has been granted the certification needed so it can be manufactured on a large scale, meaning more EV makers can use them in their cars.
Somehow this just seems too good to be true.
Japan has found the holy grail of electrolysis: a cheap metal that can produce 1,000% more hydrogen.
Summary: A cheap mineral can stabilize PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) electrolytes. Previous systems used noble metals such as Iridium and Platinum, which are expensive.
Rivals of StarTram:
They built a hypersonic rotating detonation rocket engine – and it just flew for the first time
Dawn Aerospace sells Aurora suborbital spaceplane to Oklahoma
https://spacenews.com/dawn-aerospace-sells-aurora-suborbital-spaceplane-to-oklahoma/
Suborbital aircraft that can be used for " . . . precursor[s] to orbital microgravity projects," and "to test hardware in the space environment."
30th Street Station Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=0d7344b85dfb
(For the jigsaw puzzle, you can adjust the number of pieces using the "Play as" option at the top right. There is a pause button to the right of the time indicator at the bottom center.)
I hope you like my tributes to conventional rail, especially since my overall aim is to relegate conventional rail to museums.
–– Josh