CANCELLED SCAG MagLev Task Force Meeting March 8, 2007

Maglev System Development

Background
With six million additional people expected to populate Southern California in the next 30 years, mobility can only get worse. Southern California's future economic viability and quality of life depend on its ability to move people and goods. To meet this challenge, a high speed rail Maglev system connecting the region's airports and activity centers is being planned to reduce the congestion, air pollution, noise and other impacts of such tremendous growth.

The primary purpose of the Maglev system is to strategically connect the major airports and to augment a balanced distribution of aviation demand and services in the region. Maglev uses proven and advanced magnetic levitation technology to move people and goods at high speeds with a degree of safety, comfort and reliability. SCAG has made the development of an intra-regional Maglev transportation system a priority in its Regional Transportation Plan.

Project Origin
The U.S. Congress, through the development and implementation of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st century (TEA-21), authorized funding for a Maglev Deployment Program. The study examined the feasibility of Maglev technology in several transportation corridors across the country. The California Maglev project was one of seven projects selected by the Federal Railroad Administration to receive funding for the first phase deployment.

Maglev technology has been in development for 25 years. The technology identified for the California Maglev project was developed in Germany, where a 19-mile demonstration track has carried hundreds of thousands of fare paying over the last two decades. The first commercial Maglev system went into operation in the year 2003, connecting Shanghai to Pudong airport in China.

Benefits of Maglev Technology
Maglev uses the world's most advanced magnetic levitation technology to safely move people and cargo reliably and comfortably. Maglev technology allows travelers to ride on a cushion of air that reaches speeds up to 310 mph. The train is levitated and propelled magnetically through a propulsion system located in the guideway that can either be elevated or at grade. Passengers and cargo are efficiently transported in an environmentally friendly and energy-efficient manner. Because the elevated guideway can be built on existing freeway and railroad right-of-ways, land consumption and related impacts are minimized. Additionally, Maglev operates more quietly than conventional high-speed trains, has fewer impacts on adjoining communities and operation and maintenance costs are significantly less than conventional high-speed rail.

Policy
The Maglev system will ultimately facilitate the development of a regional airport system, and connect to major activity and multi-modal transportation centers in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Orange Counties. In order to accommodate growing air travel demand, Southern California must decentralize air passenger traffic and air cargo to regional airports in the north and east. Therefore, the Maglev system becomes critical to the success of SCAG's decentralized regional aviation system.

The Maglev deployment program will move SCAG's region forward through investment in critical infrastructure that will quickly improve surface transportation, enhance the movement of goods and revitalize the Southland's economy. This initiative will inject over $26 billion dollars into SCAG's regional economy through 2030. The completion of the privately funded Maglev projects will result in improvements in productivity, quality of life, and mobility and will enhance the Southern California economy.

Project Area
For the past seven years, SCAG has been studying the feasibility of deploying Maglev in the region. The proposed Maglev system would connect the regional airports in Southern California and will ultimately grow to cover a 275-mile network. It can provide transportation for more than 500,000 riders a day. When fully deployed, the Maglev system could complement the existing state freeway system. SCAG has completed feasibility studies to evaluate each of the proposed Maglev corridors in the region:

LAX to March Global Port, Riverside County ( 3.1 MB .pdf )
LAX to Palmdale Regional Airport ( 1.06 MB .pdf )
Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal (LAUPT) to Anaheim, Orange County ( 148 KB .pdf )
LAX to Irvine Transportation Center in South Orange County ( 7.9 MB .pdf)
IOS - West Los Angeles to Ontario Airport ( 2.06 MB .pdf )
SCAG has completed the preliminary engineering work for the IOS.
Maglev PE Summary of IOS ( 1.4 MB .pdf )
Maglev PE Summary of IOS Appendices ( 18 MB .pdf )
Maglev PE Alignment Drawings ( 69 MB .pdf )
Maglev PE Technical Report ( 4.5 MB .pdf )
Maglev PE Station Concept Drawings ( 72 MB .pdf )
Maglev PE Stations Technical Report ( 3 MB .pdf )
Maglev PE Cost Estimation Report ( 239 KB .pdf )
The Maglev program also envisions a connection to San Diego and a connection between San Bernardino and Palmdale.

Official Website: http://www.scag.ca.gov/maglev/