Transport System Bögl (TSB)
A driverless maglev for cities and regions, developed by the Max Bögl group in Bavaria. Since November 2025 it holds the first licence for public maglev lines in Europe, but it has yet to win its first paying line.
Maglev for the city, not the long haul
The TSB is the maglev for cities and regions. The Transrapid is the one for long distances.
Max Bögl has been developing the TSB since 2010 in Sengenthal, Bavaria. The company knows maglev guideways well: it produced guideway elements for the Transrapid line in Shanghai.
The TSB uses electromagnetic suspension. Unlike the Transrapid, its linear motor sits on the vehicle (short stator), which keeps the prefabricated concrete guideway simpler. Vehicles run without a driver and without overhead lines, and the guideway can be elevated over roads, rivers and other infrastructure.
The target is routes of 5 to 50 km: airport links, suburban lines and connections between towns, for passengers and freight.
Fact sheet
- Developer
- Max Bögl group, Sengenthal (Germany)
- In development since
- 2010
- Principle
- Electromagnetic suspension (EMS), short-stator linear motor
- Operating speed
- 150 km/h (design)
- Speed record
- 181 km/h (Chengdu, April 2024)
- Capacity
- up to 127 passengers per 12 m section
- Gradient
- up to 10%
- Minimum curve radius
- 45 m
- Test tracks
- Sengenthal (about 820 m), Chengdu (3.5 km)
- Licence
- Operating licence from Germany's Eisenbahn-Bundesamt, November 2025
- Status
- Licensed, no public line yet
Manufacturer figures. Max Bögl also claims running costs about 20% below conventional wheel-on-rail systems; this has not been independently verified.
From Sengenthal to Chengdu
- 2010
Development starts
Max Bögl begins developing its own urban maglev.
- 2012
Test track in Sengenthal
Tests begin at the company headquarters. By 2018, more than 100,000 test runs have covered over 65,000 km.
- 2018
Joint venture in China
Together with Chengdu Xinzhu Road & Bridge Machinery, Bögl builds a 3.5 km demonstration line in Chengdu. The Chinese partner holds exclusive rights to the technology in China.
- 2021
TSB Cargo in Hamburg
A demonstrator shows how the TSB could move containers between port and hinterland. The same year, the TSB reaches 169 km/h.
- 2024
181 km/h
A three-section vehicle sets a new record for medium-low speed maglev in Chengdu, confirmed by an independent assessor.
- 2025
Licence in Germany
On 19 November, the Eisenbahn-Bundesamt grants TSB Betriebs GmbH a licence to operate public maglev lines, the first of its kind in Europe.
Where the TSB stands in 2026
Technically, the TSB is mature and now licensed in Germany. Commercially, it still lacks its first customer. Possible applications have been studied in Nuremberg, Hamburg and between Herrenberg and Nagold, and a cargo demonstrator company was set up in Braunschweig. None of these has a construction decision yet. In September 2026, Bögl presented the system at InnoTrans in Berlin.
Strengths and challenges
Official TSB brochures
The official brochures from Max Bögl explain the technology and its applications. Downloads open on transportsystemboegl.com.
