Puglia and the area of the port of Taranto are the forerunners for the study and experimentation of magnetic levitation systems in rail transport. This is to allow the movement of goods and people at very high speed. Up to 600 kilometers per hour. New infrastructures will be built but existing ones will also be used. The experimentation will be carried out on the spaces made available by the Port Authority of Taranto, where the new technologies in controlled aerodynamics will be tested. The vehicles, with fixed guidance, have the advantage of low energy consumption. In addition, they exploit the physical properties of electromagnetic, gravitational and electrical forces which, in the absence of friction, generate movement thanks to the presence of magnetic bearings of opposite poles and electrified coils. The train thus remains suspended in the air at a height of a few centimeters.
The project is put on the launch pad by an agreement signed between the Ministry of Infrastructure and Sustainable Mobility, the Puglia Region, the Italian Railway Network (RFI), Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane and the Ionian Sea Port System Authority. of Taranto. Before signing at Mims, on 25 May the Puglia Region expressed its candidacy to the ministry for experimentation, proposing an in-depth discussion table and identifying the project partners. The favorable response from Mims arrived on June 7th. With the project – it is highlighted – “we want to speed up mobility systems, reduce travel times and reduce the environmental impact of transport also through the use of renewable energy sources”.
Giovannini: we look to sustainable mobility
Commenting on the signature, the Minister of Infrastructure, Enrico Giovannini, said that “the protocol, which allows for the first time the experimentation in the railway sector of latest generation technologies such as magnetic levitation trains, shows that, alongside the unprecedented investments on the development of sustainable mobility systems financed thanks to the NRP and national funds, Italy looks to the future and places itself at the forefront of technological development applied to sustainable mobility, guaranteeing maximum safety ». For Giovannini, “the agreement follows the one already signed with the Veneto Region and the Venetian Motorway Concessions (Cav) for the start of the experimentation of Hyper Transfer on the road”. “We want Italy – said Giovannini – to be at the forefront in the development of cutting-edge technologies that also pave the way for possible developments in the industrial field and positive employment effects for our country”.
Four million for the start of research
The initiative – it is explained – provides for the implementation of advanced feasibility studies for the use of magnetic levitation technologies in railway transport, the development of first phase technical-economic feasibility projects and the construction of prototypes. Furthermore, the signatory parties undertake to activate a partnership procedure for innovation. The aim is to identify one or more economic operators with the requisites necessary to implement the project. 4 million euros are made available: 1.8 million from the Puglia Region, a further 1.8 million from RFI and 400,000 euros from the Port Authority of Taranto. This, it is stated, “to cover the costs of the various phases up to the creation of prototypes and experimentation in the field”. The port of Taranto, “in addition to participating in the financing of the project, will provide suitable spaces for the construction of the infrastructure and will guarantee the absence of operational interference in the execution of the tests”.
“With the protocol signed at Mims, Puglia is the first region in Italy where state-of-the-art technologies for magnetic levitation trains will be tested in rail transport”, comments Deputy Minister Teresa Bellanova, for which “the Mezzogiorno platform is confirmed. logistics of the country and Europe “. But there is also confirmation of the importance of the Taranto area for new mobility projects. From the logistics infrastructure of the port to the spaceport designed for the Grottaglie airport, from the test of drones and remotely piloted aircraft to the cargo platform to transport Apulian fruit and vegetables to European markets.