The other day I found an article about MagLev trains. Nothing new and exciting, except that Japan is set to launch their first long-distance MagLev train by 2025! Hello!!! This is very big news. It’s very big news, but very disappointing news for those here in the U.S. Why? Because our national train policy is flawed, AmTrak is a mismanaged money-pit, and no one in Washington can look further than a week in terms of developing alternative transportation technology for this country.
People, the U.S. is way behind in a lot of things. Internet connectivity alone, the U.S. ranks 15th in broadband connectivity and penetration per 100 inhabitants, as shown by research from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
The U.S.’s electricity grid is strained and working at a capacity level that some people are comfortable with.
Our national road and highway infrastructure is starting to crumble – sure patch work is being done, but there are only so many times one can patch a hole in a sinking ship.
Eventually, at some point in the future, fuel prices will be so high that driving your car, whether it be a short or long distance may not be cost efficient. Flying on a plane may be a right reserved for the wealthy.
The U.S. needs to think about the future, and start developing plans for a better national rail policy. AmTrak can only be propped up so many times, as it consistently loses money. Short trips (Boston to New York to D.C.) need to be made more attractive and profitable.
While other countries like China, Japan, France and Germany spend billions of R&D on MagLev technology for their future, the U.S. is pouring countless billions of dollars into Afghanistan and Iraq to sustain the dependence on oil, to line the pockets of the already-rich, and to further bankrupt this Government.
Time for some changes, my friends. It can be done. People just have to want it to be done. It can be done.
For information on what we are doing in the U.S. as far as commercial, production MagLev technology, please see the following links:
- The Baltimore / Washington D.C. MagLev Project
- The Pennsylvania Project
- The California MagLev Allianance
- The California Regional MagLev Project
- The Florida MagLev Project
For the link to the article about Japan’s new MagLev designed for use by 2025, see this link.)