Maglev on existing rail
Two European start-ups want to bring magnetic levitation and propulsion to conventional railway track instead of building new guideways: Nevomo from Poland and IronLev from Italy.
MagRail: a linear motor between the rails
Nevomo, known as Hyper Poland until 2020, is a spin-off from the Warsaw University of Technology. Its MagRail places a linear motor between existing rails, with passive magnetic plates under the wagons. A levitating version adds magnetic levitation and guidance on retrofitted track.
A 1:5 scale prototype followed in 2019. On 5 September 2023, a 6 m, 2 tonne test vehicle reached 135 km/h on a 720 m section of the test track in Nowa Sarzyna. It began to levitate at just over 70 km/h. For development and testing, Nevomo raised 11 million euros, half of it from EU grants. Today Nevomo markets the MagRail Booster, which moves freight wagons without a locomotive in ports and terminals.
Passive levitation on standard rails
IronLev was founded in 2017 in Treviso as a joint venture of Girotto Brevetti and Ales Tech. It uses passive ferromagnetic levitation on standard steel rails, without modifying the track.
In March 2024, a one-tonne prototype ran 2 km on the Adria to Mestre line in Veneto at a self-limited 70 km/h. According to IronLev, the track was not modified. The next goal is a complete vehicle of up to 20 tonnes for up to 200 km/h; no such test has been reported yet.
Fact sheet
- Nevomo principle
- Linear motor on existing track, optional levitation
- Nevomo test
- 135 km/h levitating (2023, Nowa Sarzyna)
- Nevomo product
- MagRail Booster for freight yards and terminals
- IronLev principle
- Passive ferromagnetic levitation on standard rails
- IronLev test
- 70 km/h, 2 km (2024, Veneto)
- Status
- Prototypes and first freight applications
Nevomo's plans for full MagRail routes in the 2030s and claims of up to 550 km/h on existing track are company projections.