this post was submitted on 03 Feb 2024
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I hate how some people/reporters conflate maglev (with a technology that can work) with hyperloop/vacuum trains (which is a technology that doesn't).
As I recall, they do plan to run these in reduced air pressure tunnels. It's not so much that the tech doesn't work, it's just a lot harder to implement and maintain.
The advantage of lowering air pressure is less wind resistance which is a factor. However if the tubes are longer the more likely they are to break and not able to be hold pressure. Also between stops, if the tunnel needs to be re pressurized which could logistically lose any advantage of time savings of pressurized tubes.
Maybe it can work if they build it very deep and it an express train that only goes between capital cities of each province or something like that.
You don't have to re-pressurize the whole tunnel, just make a seal around the train doors.
Or an air lock system where the train pulls into it first then is re/de-pressurized depending on if it's going into a station or leaving.
I guess that means that you'll have to have really precise parking and stopping, have pressure gates to connect to all of the entrances to the train and make sure to maintain each gate with more points of failure and depressurization. The logistics of parking properly (AI assistance would be nice). It could be faster to connect logistically, but definately more points of failure. Then again even if the pressure fails, the concequence is only wasted money. its still a functional mag lift train.
If I lived in a country where the government focused on the future like China does, I'd rather invest in biomedical research, sustainable agriculture, and researching the means to industrialize without harming the environment.
The tolerances for the tube itself in most parts is not the issue. The tolerances at the points most likely to leak are the real issue. I guess we'll see.