Swissmetro, an Efficient Intercity Subway System

The idea behind Swissmetro is to move travellers underground between the main cities of Switzerland at speeds of up to 500 km/h in a tube under partial vacuum. The train, carrying 800 passengers, would travel without contact to the infrastructure through an application of linear motor technology and magnetic levitation. The energy consumption of the system would be low, due to the extremely reduced air resistance and the absence of wheel-rail-contact. This report, concentrating on aspects of interest to civil engineers such as the conception and infrastructure of the system, presents some of the main results of a Preliminary Study published in March 1993. Important topics such as traffic and regional planning, operations, and economic analyses could not be included due to space limitations. The Preliminary Study demonstrates the project's feasibility.