Will maglev lift off?

Work on magnetic levitation (maglev) as a basis for ground transport systems has been going on since the 1960s, and although the future of maglev in land transport is still uncertain, the author gives an assessment of progress at a time when there is much interest both in high-speed trains and in people-moving systems. He deals first with the simpler low-speed systems, as these have now been proven safe for public service, and secondly with the high-speed systems on which decisions on implementation of projects for public-service use will be taken in the near future