Sengenthal, Switzerland
In the last few years, urbanization has emerged as one of the biggest challenges of our times. Constant urbanization requires a mobility solution that is quiet, space-saving, low-emission, flexible, and reliable.
At the same time, there is a need for local transport systems that can be integrated into existing transport infrastructures quickly and economically.
Swiss designer Christian Keller from erfindergeist.ch and German construction giant Max Bögl, a firm that has been working on Transport System Bögl (TSB—a maglev system for driverless trains—for the last ten years), have teamed up to realize the new design for the Urban Maglev Train–TSB.
The new TSB design won a recent 2021 Good Design Award from The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
According to projected data provided by the UN’s medium fertility scenario, the global population will grow from 7.6 billion in 2018 to 9.8 by 2050, with almost 7 billion people living in urban areas.
The rise of urban populations will raise challenges not only in terms of resources and pollution levels but also in terms of mobility.
In the last few years, transport experts have been looking at public transport solutions that will be easily integrated into the urban landscapes of tomorrow.
The Transport System Bögl (TSB) is a magnetic levitation system consisting of track, vehicles, and driverless operations control technology, which has been developed by the Max Bögl Group since 2010 is the nearly silent propulsion and high reliability regardless of weather conditions.
The Keller-Bögl team’s new sleek, streamlined and autonomous train design offers future mobility that is quiet, dynamic, and efficient with a vehicle that sits seamlessly on running gear hidden within the tracks and transports passengers above bustling city streets, floating in almost complete silence.
Quieter solutions include noiseless travel through the city with vehicle technology shielded in the track and no vibrations with contactless magnetic levitation resulting in low emission of the general background noise.
The running gear of the Transport System Bögl lies protected in the track, which means snow or ice, for example, does not impair movement.
The exterior design of the Transport System Bögl vehicle is designed for optimal standing area and aerodynamics.
The robust car body is made of lightweight aluminum.
The TSB deliberately stands out from the conventional design language of trains, trolleys, and buses.
The clear design language of the exterior is also reflected in the interior to ensure an ideal experience.
Inside, the design redefines passenger safety and comfort with ergonomic standing areas; between six and twelve seats per section; a powerful and silent air conditioning system; floor-covered non-slip natural rubber; and monitors, passenger counting devices, cameras, loudspeakers, and emergency intercoms.
Interior components appear to float and a novel lighting scheme enriches the feeling of floating in silence.
The interior spatial design sets new standards for this vehicle class.
Inside and out, the result is a fully seamless automatic transportation system.
As a future-oriented maglev transportation system, the Transport System Bögl is capable of fulfilling many of the needs that metropolitan areas must deal with in the future.
It can bring over 35,000 people per hour per direction to their destination at an investment cost far below that of conventional subway systems.
With speeds of up to 150 km/h (93 mph), the Transport System Bögl is virtually noise-free in urban areas, and their surroundings and can easily handle various passenger loads thanks to a high cycle frequency of up to 80 seconds’ train headway.
The track length can range from one kilometer (0.50 miles) to over 50 kilometers (30 miles).
Tracks can be built on stilts at ground level or underground.
Project: Urban Maglev Train–TSB
Designers: Christian Keller, V. Löhr, Ch. Zuberbühler, and M. Schmid, erfindergeist.ch GmbH.
Manufacturer: Max Bögl Bauservice GmbH & Co. KG.
Photographers: Max Bögl Group / Reinhard Mederer