The Transrapid Test Facility Emsland
For almost three decades, the Transrapid was tested at full scale in Emsland in northwestern Germany. Here you can see how the track is laid out and how it came about.
Key facts
- Location
- Lathen, Emsland
- Construction
- 1980 to 1987, in two phases
- Test operation
- 1984 to 2011
- Length
- 31.5 km
- Straight
- about 12 km
- Turning loops
- Radius 1,690 m (north) and 1,000 m (south)
- Banking in curves
- up to 12 degrees
- Vehicles
- TR06, TR07, TR08, TR09
- Top speed
- 450 km/h (TR07, 1993)
- Condition
- not operational, but fully preserved
One straight, two loops
The heart of the test facility is a straight section of about 12 km, with a turning loop at each end, to the north and south. This allowed the Transrapid to run in circles and reach top speed on the straight.
The test center and the turning loops are connected to the straight by steel flexing switches. The line is mostly elevated, with one short section at ground level. In the curves, the guideway is banked by up to 12 degrees.
Companies involved in building the guideway included Dyckerhoff & Widmann, Lavis, ThyssenKrupp, Krauss-Maffei and Max Bögl.
Steel flexing switches
The Transrapid's switches have no moving blades. A continuous steel beam, rigidly clamped at one end, is elastically bent. The length of the switch determines the bending radius and thus the speed on the diverging track, while all switches can be taken at top speed in the straight direction. They were developed and built by Krauss-Maffei and Thyssen-Henschel.
Elevated, at ground level, concrete or steel
The guideway in Shanghai uses the hybrid beam tested in Emsland.
Most of the guideway stands on supports between 1.50 m and 12 m high, to keep the impact on the landscape as small as possible. At road crossings, the standard clearance is 4.70 m, and a standard beam is 24.8 m long. Single-span beams cover 12 to 37 m between two supports, while double-span beams rest on three supports with spans of up to 2 × 31 m.
On one short section, the elevated guideway was removed and replaced by several ground-level variants on an embankment. There, 6.20 m long guideway slabs rest on a continuous foundation and short concrete or steel supports.
Three types of beam were tested:
- Concrete beam: made entirely of prestressed concrete, with stators and side guide rails attached via grouted anchors.
- Steel beam: structure made entirely of steel, with bolted stators and welded side guide rails.
- Hybrid beam: prestressed concrete with 3 m long steel modules to which the stators are bolted and the side guide rails welded. This type is used in Shanghai.
How the test facility came about
- Background
Rejected in the Donauried
A 57 km test facility between Dillingen and Donauwörth was originally planned. After fierce protests from residents, it was cancelled despite far-advanced planning.
- Background
Emsland wins out
Gerhard Hugenberg, managing director of Emsland GmbH, promotes the region, which suffers from youth unemployment. One advantage: much of the planned straight already belongs to the federal government. Before World War II, construction of a side canal for shipping had begun there and was abandoned during the war; remains still stand next to the guideway today. Almost 150 lease agreements are signed for additional land.
- 1980
First construction phase
By 1983, the northern loop is built, including the connection to the test hall, 20.5 km in total.
- 1983
Second construction phase
By 1987, the southern loop follows, with more modern concrete and steel beams and supports up to 15 m high in places.
- 1984
First runs with the TR06
A cable fire pushes the start, planned for September 1983, back to early 1984. By 1991, the TR06 reaches 412.6 km/h.
- 1991
Technical readiness for service
The TR07 establishes the Transrapid's technical readiness for service. In 1993, it reaches 450 km/h.
- 1999
Transrapid 08
The pre-series vehicle reaches 420 km/h in Emsland and becomes the basis for Shanghai.
- 2006
Accident
The TR08 is damaged in the accident at the test facility.
- 2007
Transrapid 09
The last German Transrapid runs in Emsland at up to 400 km/h.
- 2011
End of test operation
The technology is considered ready for the market and no further testing is needed. Operation is discontinued.