Nevomo has successfully tested its MagRail technology on existing railway infrastructure for the first time. The tests, which were conducted on a more than 720-metre-long section of test track in Poland, demonstrated that railway vehicles can operate on existing railway infrastructure without any friction.
The MagRail vehicle reached a speed of 135 km/h during the tests, demonstrating stable levitation and magnetic guidance on rail infrastructure. The 6-metre-long vehicle weighing 2 tonnes began levitating at just over 70 km/h, and it went from 0 to 100 km/h in 11 seconds.
Developers hope that the high-speed passenger MagRail trains will run at up to 550 km/h on railway lines, significantly reducing travel times.
"Today marks a landmark moment in Nevomo's development," said Przemek Ben Paczek, CEO and Co-Founder of Nevomo. "For the first time in railway history, a rail vehicle moved not on the existing tracks, but over them, without friction. It shows that our MagRail technology is not just a vision for the future; it is a tangible solution for today."
Paczek added that Nevomo's MagRail technology is a cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach to modernizing rail transport. By leveraging existing infrastructure, Nevomo can offer a solution that is in line with the European Green Deal's objectives.
The successful tests are the result of several years of engineering and development and has been in collaboration with several partners including Rete Ferroviaria Italiana, SNCF, Duisport, and GATX helping define various applications for MagRail.
"These successful tests are paving the way for pre-commercial operational pilots," said Sebastian Kaluza, product development director at Nevomo. "We believe that MagRail has the potential to revolutionize rail transport and make it more efficient, sustainable, and accessible."
Nevomo plans to continue the research and development of MagRail not only for levitation, but also for further exploration of different applications of the technology to improve efficiency and capacity for rail transportation. The company is targeting to start commercialising the first version of MagRail for freight transport in 2024.
To date, Nevomo has raised €11m of funding for the development of the MagRail technology and its testing.
Photo Credit: Nevomo
