Interest of German Trade and Industry in the Transrapid System.

The Federal Ministry of Transport commissioned, in 1969, the Study of High-Performance High-Speed Rail Systems. Within the framework of this study the conclusion was reached that the development of a magnetic levitation system would be of practical relevance with regard to transport policy and the national ecomomy. Primarily involved in the development of magnetic levitation technology are those industrial enterprises which have a tradition of transportation engineering. Included among these is also Thyssen Industrie AG Henschel in Munich, which has been prominently involved in the development and construction of the Transrapid and of the test facility in Emsland, Federal Republic of Germany. The characteristics and advantages of the magnetic levitation system, as well as the milestones in the history of its development, are discussed in detail; future possibilities of using and marketing the Transrapid are described.