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The characteristics of maglev systems being considered for implementation in the United States are speculative. A conference was held at Argonne National Laboratory on November 28-29, 1990, to discuss these characteristics and their implications for the design requirements of operational systems. This paper reviews some of the factors considered during that conference.

The technical feasibility of constructing and operating maglev vehicles at speeds of 250−300 mph has been amply demonstrated and is accepted here as a reality. In this paper, the markets into which passenger-or freight-carrying systems based on this technology can be introduced with economic reasonableness are evaluated. The characteristics and capabilities (particularly the capacity and comparative costs) of the system are enumerated and discussed from the points of view of the passengers, the airlines (as potential operators), and the traveling public. It is shown that if the system is integrated into the existing transportation system as a supplement to the airline system, it meets the criteria required for the introduction of any new product or service into a market. The financial enhancement of the maglev system resulting from the use of trunk routes with feeder lines diverging to various ultimate destinations becomes an extremely important consideration.