Maglev train & guideway. Man observing the end of a magnetic levitation (Maglev) train. The train is seen on its guideway (grey concrete) at an exhib- ition by a test track near Lathen, Germany. The T- shaped guideway contains electromagnets which interact with magnets onboard the train. These magnetic interactions levitate the train to about 10mm off the guideway. The power supplied to the magnets in the guideway is then varied to create a travelling magnetic field along the guideway which pulls the train. This prototype system, known as transrapid, requires far less power than conventional trains and can accelerate to speeds of up to 400 km/h in 165 seconds.