Guideway

The Transrapid guideway is an integral component of the Transrapid Maglev System. Consisting of high precision welded steel and reinforced concrete columns and foundations (substructures), the overall system ride comfort is directly related to the execution and quality of the guideway. Therefore guideway specifications and tolerances which relate to ride comfort are especially important. The steel guideway is currently the only certified guideway beam for safe revenue operations. Both steel and concrete versions are available for at-grade guideway applications. The standard guideway types are shown in the illustration below.

The steel guideway beam is fully welded with integrated functional components, lateral guidance rails, and gliding plane. The design of the steel beam largely takes into account automated manufacturing processes. Attached to the beams are the guideway equipment which includes the longstator stator packs and stator windings, power rails for vehicle battery charging, and various bolted on connections.

Elevated Guideway

Standard elevated guideway beams are 62 m (203 ft) long or 25 m (82 ft) long and utilize discrete foundations. Standard guideway heights are 2.2 m (7 ft) to 20 m (66 ft) without special civil structures. For guideway heights above 20 m or spans greater than 31 m, secondary civil structures shall be used (bridges).

The beams are mounted on bridge bearings on reinforced concrete substructures. Fixed bearings are utilized for the center mount and loose bearings for both ends to allow for thermal expansion. Double track guideway is typically mounted on a common foundation with individual substructures (one column per track) or common substructures (one or two per double track) depending on the local civil codes, architectural wishes, and space available. When crossing roads, guideway height is typically 6.7 m (22 ft) to allow truck traffic to pass underneath (4.7 m (16 ft) clearance height).