Magnetic Levitated Transport is still too new for the broad understanding that would lead to its acceptance as the dominent mode of transport for the new era of fossil fuel scarcity and concerns about the increasing tonnage of global warming gasses that we are injecting into the atmosphere — much faster than the gasses can be reabsorbed by the Earth. Maglev can help stretch the supply of scarce liquid hydrocarbons and can reduce the emissions of global warming gasses.
The principal factors impeding implementation of the 1st generation maglev systems in America are (a) high construction cost (on the order of 60 million dollars per 2-way mile); (b) their limitation to passenger only transport; and (c) their incompatibility with existing rail.
Realizing this, Powell and Danby have improved their original 1966 superconducting Maglev inventions to incorporate:
• Significantly lower construction cost for the maglev guideway;
• Ability to carry high revenue highway trucks, personal autos, and freight, in addition to passengers;
• Capability for levitated travel along existing railroad tracks, which have been adapted for maglev at very low cost;
• Ability to electronically switch at high speed off of the main line to off-line stations for unloading/loading operations;
• Ability to be privately financed without government subsidies for construction and operation;
• Ability to use new high temperature superconductors.