Looking into: Magnetically Levitated Trains

Have you ever wondered what the future of trains will hold? Well the technology of Magnetically Levitated Trains (or Maglev trains for short) is being seen in more and more parts of the world. How do they work? Well it is all found in the megnetic polarity of the rail. You know when you take 2 magnets, and hold both north or both south ends of the magnet near each other, and they repel? Well the maglev train is essentially a huge rail which is magnetically charged to repel the train, so the train ends up "hovering" about 1cm above the rail itself. This means that there does not need to be any moving parts, therefore theoretically very little maintenaince, as well as little friction (other than air resistance) meaning high speeds over long distances. Maglevs can travel up to speeds of 500 km/h, and it travels very quietly, apart from the noise it makes from displacing air. The maglev train and the tracks are expensive to produce, and more research is being done to make the electro magnets more efficient, and cheaper. Germany and Japan are currently working on many kilometre long test tracks, and trying new ways to keep the maglev viable for commercial use. Here is a diagram of how the maglev train is laid out:

Notice the complex structure of the interior of the maglev. The radiation sheild helps to prevent the magnetism of the system get to the inside of the train, allowing people with pacemakers and other electronic devices to still have them in use.