Europe’s longest magrail test track to be constructed in Poland

Magrail technology company Nevomo has signed an agreement with Polish firm Ciech Sarzyna to lease land and infrastructure. This will allow Nevomo to build a full-scale 750m test track.

Magrail technology enables vehicles to reach speeds of 550km/h on existing railway tracks. The advantage of the technology, which uses the hyperloop concept, is the ability to integrate with the existing railway infrastructure without the need to make changes to  rolling stock.

Ciech Sarzyna will provide Nevomo with access to the area with the railway track and the adjacent infrastructure, along with an office building and warehouse, located in the Podkarpacie region of Poland.

On the 1:1 scale test track, vehicles with a linear drive system and passive levitation will be tested, as will power electronic systems for powering and controlling a multi-segment linear motor.

Nevomo board member Pawel Radziszewski said the construction of the track is “another milestone in the development of the magrail technology”.

He added: "The successful conduct of these tests opens the path to pilot implementations, which are planned for the years 2022 to 2024. Magrail technology is expected to be technically fully operational by 2025.”

Ciech Sarzyna chief executive Wojciech Babski emphasised that the firm "supports innovative solutions that respond to the challenges of the world around us".

He said: "The cooperation with Nevomo is part of the philosophy of our operation, according to which a business which is modern and open to cooperation is a source of positive changes for millions of people in the world. I am glad that we will make a small contribution to building a truly revolutionary technology in public transport."

Last year, the European Commission backed hyperloop in its sustainability strategy, while Spanish construction giant Ferrovial signed a framework agreement with Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HyperloopTT) to analyse the opportunities to build the advanced transport system in the US.

Meanwhile, the United States government decided to establish a regulatory framework for the safe deployment of hyperloop systems. Following this, Virgin Hyperloop unveiled its first Hyperloop Certification Centre in October 2020 and completed the first passenger testing in November.

Spanish hyperloop firm Zeleros also announced that it had raised over €7M (£6.2M) to develop its version of hyperloop technology, while Polish company Hyper Poland raised over £436,000 in its UK equity crowdfunding campaign.

Like what you've read? To receive New Civil Engineer's daily and weekly newsletters click here.