On October 22 the German newspaper Handelsblatt published a piece of news that catches the attention of the German and Chinese public once more. According to the Handelsblatt a consortium formed by German Siemens and ThyssenKrupp may sell relevant core technology to China, which owns the first commercially operated maglev line.

The German press therefore speculates that the consortium plans to sell the core maglev technology to China for one of two reasons: first, corresponding domestic project is delayed and has been unable to start; and second, further development of maglev technology in Germany faces tremendous difficulty.

Germany may quit on maglev

The German maglev technology was jointly developed by Siemens and ThyssenKrupp with billions of dollars and decades of effort. However, both the planned Hamburg-Berlin project and the project linking Koln airport and Dusseldorf airport had to be aborted due to high cost and risks involved in future operation.

The only thing left is the German maglev train construction plan to link central Munich and Munich airport. Even this project has its future hang in the balance for financing reasons. It was learned that the planning and preparation for the project is to unfold by the year end. Although the German government has promised to provide large amounts of financial subsidies and Bavaria as well as relevant sides, too, will contribute to it the project, which is expected to cost a total of 1.6 billion euro, still has a fund gap of between 150 million to 250 million euro. Moreover, the municipal government of Munich is opposed to the project. Therefore as the last hope for German maglev technology to settle in its hometown the Munich project has the question unanswered whether it would finally start.

Germany needs operation experience in China

Although the maglev technology has been developed for more than 30 years it is still a new technology and needs to be tested in day-to-day operation. The fact that a cable accident occurred during the early operation of the first maglev line completed in China Shanghai indicates that the maglev technology is not fully mature yet and needs to be further tested in actual operation. However Germany has only a short testing railroad, far inadequate to meet the need of further development of maglev technology.

In order to improve maglev technology and reduce cost through assessment of problems emerging from actual operation Germany has to rely on cooperation with China. Particularly, China is one of the few countries which are interested in maglev technology and willing to start new projects. Nevertheless the high cost of maglev project forces China to take prudent actions. If Germany can go further to transfer maglev technology to China so as to expand the share of parts developed and produced by the Chinese side the construction cost of maglev line would be reduced, which, in turn, would help the further application of maglev technology in China and even in other regions of the world.

Shanghai maglev lacks core technology

Although the Munich maglev project is facing difficulties the German government, Siemens and ThyssenKrupp are all going to push forward its implementation in order to save the core technology and guard Germany's image as a technological power. Therefore the Handelsblatt report that the consortium formed by Siemens and ThyssenKrupp may sell relevant core technology to China was based on an assumption.

While denying the Handelsblatt report spokesperson for the German High-Speed Railway International admitted that if the Munich project finally discontinues Germany would have difficulty retaining maglev technology. But the German companies themselves are still full of misgivings over transferring the core technology to China.

They are concerned that Germany might thus lose its leading position in electronic system control. Besides, the core technology has not been used in the Shanghai maglev project that Germany helped construct. This is the main reason why the German companies want the Munich maglev project to start immediately.

By People's Daily Online