Swissmetro

The Swissmetro was a project for the development and construction of an underground maglev vacuum tunnel for passenger traffic. The planned routes in Switzerland should improve the public transport network, relieve surface traffic and greatly shorten journey times for passengers between the Swiss cities. So would have been needed for the approximately 100 -kilometer route from Bern to Zurich less than 15 minutes.

Technology

The Swissmetro was conceived as fully underground maglev. She would have been neither visible nor audible so outwards. You should run in the direction of separate tunnels, each about six feet in diameter, would have prevailed in which a partial vacuum (vacuum tunnel ). As the air resistance and thus the power consumption could be reduced. Been driven would be the vehicles of Swissmetro by non-contact linear electric motors. Together with a magnetic suspension and guidance system would have made under the surface with a speed of over 500 km / h this almost wear-free float. So an average speed of 522 km / h was provided for the connection between Zurich -Bern.

The following points were used as a basis for the respective project progress:

Benefits

  • Low energy consumption for traction, since vacuum tunnel
  • No noise
  • No adverse effects on the landscape
  • High speed
  • High clock frequency
  • Discharge of the existing network
  • Stops directly under the large stations

Disadvantages

  • High investment costs
  • Incompatibility with the existing railway infrastructure
  • Not suitable for freight transport
  • Energy consumption for vacuum generation
  • Pure Tunnelfahrt

Network

The most important part of the network should the West-East axis Geneva -Lausanne -Bern - Zurich -St. Form bile. 1997 was a first, 2003, filed an amended license application for the line Lausanne- Geneva the federal government.

For technical and economic reasons, the section between Basel and Zurich were drawn as a pilot line for the project into consideration. In addition, an extension to the airports of Zurich and Basel, has been proposed.

The term Euro Metro an extension of the system Swissmetro on a European rail network was being considered. In a first phase, an extension of the Swissmetro to Lyon in the west and in the east of Munich would be interesting. For longer distances, a Euro Metro would be an alternative to air transport.

Status of the project

The Swiss Metro AG was liquidated due to lack of funding in 2009.

History

Swiss Metro AG

Behind the project was the Swiss Metro AG. The corporation with headquarters in Bern was founded in 1992 with the Ticino Senate Sergio Salvioni as president. It spread the idea and developed the project.

The Board of Directors consisted of numerous well-known members and was last presided over by FDP National Pierre Triponez.

The Swiss Metro AG said in October 2009 that "is not feasible, a realization of the project in the near future in Switzerland". Then the liquidation of the Swiss Metro AG was decided at an Extraordinary General Meeting on 20 November 2009. The project management and the rights of the project went back into a transfer contract at the ETH Lausanne.

Association Pro Swissmetro

The Club Pro Swissmetro funding the project through appropriate means and makes it known to the public. By 2006, the name was the Friends of Swissmetro.

Vactrain Domestic energy consumption Federal Council (Switzerland) Rail 2000 Transrapid Hyperloop
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