Innovation as a tragic and industrial monument

            This is the Emsland Transrapid Test Facility near Lathen in Germany, which was used for the testing of the German developed high-speed monorail train using magnetic levitation; Transrapid. Planning for the Transrapid system started in 1969. Construction of the facility began in 1980 and was completed in 1984. 

The system is developed and marketed by Transrapid International, a joint venture of Siemens and ThyssenKrupp. Both companies had and perhaps still have high hopes for this innovation. To implement the new technology throughout Germany and rest of the world no cost was too great. There have been plans to build a Transrapid in Nordrhein-Westfalen, a fast route between Hamburg and Berlin – as there was a poor rail link between Berlin and Hamburg after the fall of the Berlin Wall – and the most recent one between Munich Airport and its city center. There were also plans for a link between London and Glasgow, via Birmingham, Liverpool/Manchester, Leeds, Teesside, Newcastle and Edinburgh. 

The Hamburg-Berlin line was finally abandoned in 2000. No other than Bavarian politicians (from the south of Germany) decided the Transrapid wasn’t worth the €3 billion new calculations showed it would have cost. Furthermore, Die Bahn – the German national railway company – didn’t want any competition between its modes of transport; especially the ICE-trains. Therefore, the system was sold to China. 

In 2004, the first commercial implementation was completed. The Shanghai Maglev Train connects the rapid transit network 30.5 km to the Shanghai Pudong International Airport. It’s just under a 7 minute ride in which the Transrapid reaches a top speed of 401km/h.
In 2007 the UK government rejected the maglev link.

On September 22nd 2006, a Transrapid train (the TR08 model) crashed into a maintenance vehicle at 170 km/h (almost 106 mph) on the Lathen' test track. Every morning a normal wheeled diesel-powered maintenance vehicle ran across the tracks to check them for debris and faults. Although the engineers radioed in with the line dispatcher for clearance to leave the track, they were not aware a test run with visitors onboard the Transrapid had already started (30 minutes earlier than scheduled). The lightweight design of the transrapid caused it to dive under the heavy (60 tonne) maintenance vehicle, ripping off the roof of the maglev train. The wreckage went for another 300 meters on the track before coming to a halt. 
There were 23 fatalities and 10 severe injuries. The two-man crew of the maintenance vehicle were among the survivors as they were working at the opposite end of the heavy maintenance vehicle (the mass of the vehicle clearly saved them). The two even managed to save three survivors from the wreckage by removing panels when they heard them knocking underneath. Two engineers on the TR08, sitting in the rear section, escape as well. The train driver died on the spot. The maintenance vehicle and the front cars of the train were completely destroyed. Only three other passengers could be saved later by cutting through the remains of the train. None got off unscathed. 

The accident was caused by human error with the first train being allowed to leave the station before the maintenance vehicle had moved off the track. This situation could be avoided in a production environment by installing an automatic collision avoidance system. But still the accident had a devastating effect on the future corporate plans for the Transrapid. At the end of 2011, the operation license has expired, and the test track was closed. In 2012, the demolition and reconversion of all the Emsland site, including the tracks and factory, was approved. Since demolition has not started yet. The site in still largely intact although it’s in a depressing state.

Technical stuff
With regards to this photo there’s not much to say or write. It’s a single shot take with my G9. Minimal post-production was done using PS CC. I added a copyright sign. The latter is, alas, there to stay due to the fact that my photos were frequently copied. So, don't bother commenting on that.

Taken in: Deutschland / Niedersachsen / Melstrup (show map)

Taken on: December 27, 2017

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