Energy Consumption of Track-Based High-Speed Transportation Systems: Maglev Technologies in Comparison with Steel-Wheel-Rail

Energy consumption is an important component of the operating costs of high-speed transportation systems. This study compares the secondary energy demand of conventional wheel-rail systems, including ICE, TGV, and Shinkansen, with high-speed maglev systems such as Transrapid and the Chuo Shinkansen. Conventional comparisons based on energy consumption per seat-kilometer can be distorted by differences in train configuration, seating density, vehicle dimensions, and operating conditions. The study therefore introduces a comparison based on system-typical effective usable area (Wh/m²·km) to provide a more consistent basis for evaluating different technologies. The results show that energy demand depends strongly on operating speed and project-specific conditions. At speeds up to approximately 330 km/h, Transrapid shows slight advantages under certain conditions, but high-speed maglev systems do not generally have a major energy-consumption advantage over conventional wheel-rail systems when compared at the same speed. At higher speeds, route characteristics, particularly tunnel operation, become increasingly important determinants of energy demand. Keywords: Maglev; high-speed transportation; energy consumption; secondary energy demand; Transrapid; Chuo Shinkansen; wheel-rail systems; energy efficiency; system comparison; effective usable area.