MagLev Costs
The Shanghai Maglev, which happens to be the fastest train in the world, cost a whopping $1.2 billion dollars to build. At only 20 miles long, that is an incredible amount of capital cost. At that cost, it is about $60 million dollars per mile of track. Tranrapid, the company that owns the Shanghai MagLev, forks over $60 million per year for the capital costs. However, the train typically runs at half-capacity. If we estimate that to be 12,000 passengers per day for the cost of $6 per person, that is under $27 million per year. On capital costs alone, the Shanghai MagLev looks to be cost inefficient.