It is propelled at a breathtaking speed of 300 miles per hour, leaving onlookers with their mouths agape. It is an awesome sight if not missed, for one turn of the head could mean the disappointment of staring blankly at an empty trackway. This technology is possible because of a relatively old concept used in a new fashion. Superconducting magnets provide the enormous lift needed to raise seventeen tons twelve inches. This it is certainly not.
Superconductivity is a physical state in which all electrical resistance vanishes.
Unlike a conductor such as copper which requires a battery to replenish the loss of electricity, a superconductor can indefinitely circulate electricity without a power source. This type of current produces a tremendous magnetic field. The two magnets create an invisible force which causes them to move apart. The maglev system uses a slightly different method involving two oppositely flowing currents in the trackway and train. Propulsion is provided by aluminum coils in the side of the trackway which push the superconducting magnets on the maglev.