Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
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Very much an unsung hero of modern railway technology, the Birmingham Airport Maglev, as opened in 1984, was the world's first commercial maglev system, carrying passengers the 0.3 mile journey between Birmingham International station and the airport terminal in a journey lasting around 90 seconds, proving itself a reliable, sturdy and efficient means of carrying travellers for 11 years.
Sadly, what was cutting edge in 1984 was outdated and expensive by 1995, and despite the maglev operating without major fault throughout its lifetime, it was rapidly left behind as the technology behind its construction advanced without it, and thus meant that this pioneering system would be replaced by something far more conventional after only a decade of use.
Chapters:
0:00 - Preamble
0:40 - Magnetic Levitation
2:17 - International Connections
3:45 - Developing from Scratch
6:57 - Perfecting a New Formula
9:37 - Tests and Trials
12:09 - Guiding the Way
15:14 - Driverless Duo
18:22 - Into and Out of Service
21:45 - Conclusion
All video content and images in this production have been provided with permission wherever possible. While I endeavour to ensure that all accreditations properly name the original creator, some of my sources do not list them as they are usually provided by other, unrelated YouTubers. Therefore, if I have mistakenly put the accreditation of 'Unknown', and you are aware of the original creator, please send me a personal message at my Gmail (this is more effective than comments as I am often unable to read all of them): rorymacveigh@gmail.com
The views and opinions expressed in this video are my personal appraisal and are not the views and opinions of any of these individuals or bodies who have kindly supplied me with footage and images.
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Press the Join button to get access to new videos a week ahead of schedule by becoming a channel member for just £2.99 a month!
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Thanks again, everyone, and enjoy! :D
References:
- Key Model (and their respective sources)
- M.G. Pollard in Physics in Technology (and their respective sources)
- Wikipedia (and its respective references)
Join this channel to get early access to new videos a week ahead of their public release:
youtube.com/channel/UCC8R7kmt-W14zWUcr8mymEQ/join
Good day! :D
Very much an unsung hero of modern railway technology, the Birmingham Airport Maglev, as opened in 1984, was the world's first commercial maglev system, carrying passengers the 0.3 mile journey between Birmingham International station and the airport terminal in a journey lasting around 90 seconds, proving itself a reliable, sturdy and efficient means of carrying travellers for 11 years.
Sadly, what was cutting edge in 1984 was outdated and expensive by 1995, and despite the maglev operating without major fault throughout its lifetime, it was rapidly left behind as the technology behind its construction advanced without it, and thus meant that this pioneering system would be replaced by something far more conventional after only a decade of use.
Chapters:
0:00 - Preamble
0:40 - Magnetic Levitation
2:17 - International Connections
3:45 - Developing from Scratch
6:57 - Perfecting a New Formula
9:37 - Tests and Trials
12:09 - Guiding the Way
15:14 - Driverless Duo
18:22 - Into and Out of Service
21:45 - Conclusion
All video content and images in this production have been provided with permission wherever possible. While I endeavour to ensure that all accreditations properly name the original creator, some of my sources do not list them as they are usually provided by other, unrelated YouTubers. Therefore, if I have mistakenly put the accreditation of 'Unknown', and you are aware of the original creator, please send me a personal message at my Gmail (this is more effective than comments as I am often unable to read all of them): rorymacveigh@gmail.com
The views and opinions expressed in this video are my personal appraisal and are not the views and opinions of any of these individuals or bodies who have kindly supplied me with footage and images.
If you enjoyed this video, why not leave a like, and consider subscribing for more great content coming soon.
Press the Join button to get access to new videos a week ahead of schedule by becoming a channel member for just £2.99 a month!
Paypal: paypal.me/rorymacve?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB
Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/rorymacve
Thanks again, everyone, and enjoy! :D
References:
- Key Model (and their respective sources)
- M.G. Pollard in Physics in Technology (and their respective sources)
- Wikipedia (and its respective references)
