Freightrapid
The Freightrapid is a concept for a freight Transrapid. It was first presented at a presentation in the USA in 2007.
A Transrapid for containers
Passengers at 500 km/h by day, containers at 180 km/h by night, on the same line.
The Freightrapid is a concept vehicle developed as a freight-train variant based on the Transrapid. Instead of rows of seats, it carries containers: an end section holds one 40-foot and one 20-foot container, a middle section two 40-foot containers.
It is quieter, cheaper to maintain, free of fine particulate emissions and longer-lasting than conventional freight trains. Mixed operation would make sense: a 500 km/h Transrapid for passengers during the day, the Freightrapid at 180 km/h for freight at night. At that speed it is significantly quieter than a comparable freight train.
Key facts
- Company
- ThyssenKrupp Transrapid
- System
- Synchronous long-stator linear motor
- Air gap
- 10 mm
- Rated speed
- 180 km/h
- Payload end section
- 1 × 40-ft container and 1 × 20-ft container (46 t cumulative payload)
- Payload middle section
- 2 × 40-ft containers (61 t cumulative payload)
- Payload 20-section configuration
- 1,226 t / 78 TEU
Why only 180 km/h?
The Freightrapid is meant to compete with conventional freight trains, which run at only 110 km/h. 180 km/h is the threshold at which the Transrapid's energy demand falls below that of conventional rail. Below that, it is actually higher because of the levitation system.
At the upper end, mass sets the limit. A 430 km/h Transrapid with five sections and a maximum weight of 317.5 t (empty weight plus maximum payload of the SMT) reaches power peaks of up to 42 MW during acceleration. The energy demand in MWh is much lower, around 5 to 7 MWh.
For a vehicle that weighs more than four times as much, the energy demand at such speeds would be impractically high. For a similar reason, freight is not carried on the ICE, which runs at 250 to 300 km/h.
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