MAGLEV Testing Facility Powder Springs GA American Maglev Te

[Jeff Smith]

Started another topic on the MCO-Sunrail proposal being presented by American Maglev Technology Inc in Powder Springs, GA but thought I'd start this as well in case anyone wanted to discuss the company. I'm not sure who is still in this market given that Lathen GE facility is closed, I believe.

Let's keep the discussion to the technology, this company, etc. rather than the actual proposal.

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/blog ... l?page=all

Morris, principal of Powder Springs, Ga.-based American Maglev Technology Inc., on June 26 formally presented his plan to commissioners for a 15-mile, $315.2 million, privately-funded magnetic-levitation commuter rail system. The rail line would look similar to Walt Disney World’s elevated monorail system, but runs on a cheaper, 60 percent more efficient technology that American Maglev Technology been testing in Georgia since 2006. American Maglev’s technology costs about $20 million per mile, while other maglev technologies run about $70 million per mile, Morris said.

Here’s a video of the existing half-mile test system in Marietta, Ga., which Morris shared with commissioners at the June 26 meeting.

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/prin ... l?page=all

The Florida Department of Transportation in October began talks with Powder Springs, Ga.-based American Maglev Technology Inc. on studying a privately funded transit system that would start at the airport and travel along two routes: northwest to the Orange County Convention Center and southwest to the Walt Disney World Resort.

...

American Maglev Technology President and CEO Tony Morris noted the project now is worth exploring because of SunRail. “That’s what makes this thing click now in a way it didn’t in the ’80s or ’90s."

[gt7348b]

Having visited Mr. Morris' facility, unless things have changed since 2008, he did not include costs such as a maintenance facility, claiming maintennace could be done at stations, costs for ADA accessibility (i.e. elevators at stations), public safety such as cameras that may be required, etc. The technology works, but there is a long way before it is ready for use by the general public in a non-controled environment. Of course, this is my personal opinion and wish him the best.

[jtbell]

People with long memories may recall that this is the company that had a partnership with Old Dominion University in Norfolk VA during 1999-2002 to build a cross-campus demonstration maglev line. The guideway was built, and one car was delivered, but they couldn't get it to work properly. Too much vibration IIRC. AMT got into financial trouble and pulled out, turning the guideway over to ODU whose engineering school now uses it for test projects. I visited Norfolk a couple of weeks ago and saw the guideway for myself.

A google search for "ODU maglev" turns up some local newspaper articles about the line.