1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224 
Riding on air to the Motor Show
Page 130
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
IT WILL almost be worthwhile to visit the Motor Show at the National Exhibition Centre just to ride on the new Maglev passenger shuttle. This comprises two elevated parallel tracks which transport automatic driverless cars, each carrying up to 40 people, over roads and car parks between Birmingham international Airport and the NEC and Birmingham International railway station.
The Maglev cars are controlled by computer according to passenger flow. Linear motors propel them at up to 30mph by levitation and the glide from airport to station takes just 90sec. As British Rail hopes to carry more than 30 per cent of the expected 750,000 show visitors and is to run 1,222 extra trains during the 12 days from October 17-28, the Maglev is going to be well patronised.
The final link in the chain of access to the Motor Show via the Maglev is a new £100,000 hydraulic passenger lift alongside the escalators leading from the covered walkway to the station and airport. It will be a boon particularly to people with heavy luggage who are making for the Metropolitan and Warwick hotels.