this post was submitted on 08 Sep 2023
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They were invented decades ago.

They have fewer moving parts than wheelbois.

They require less maintenance.

There's obviously some bottleneck in expanding maglev technology, but what is it?

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[โ€“] kool_newt@lemm.ee 63 points 1 year ago (42 children)

Because it's not currently profitable in most cases. Capitalism ensures that the merit of an idea comes secondary to it's profitability. We don't get the best things, we get the profitable things.

[โ€“] Joker@beehaw.org 7 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Where are all the maglev trains in non-capitalist countries? Sooner or later, in any system, someone has to do a cost benefit analysis and decide whether it's worth it. It's not just about profitability. There are plenty of situations in the US where something is unprofitable but still funded because the benefit is worth it.

[โ€“] outstanding_bond@mander.xyz 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Three of the six currently operating maglevs are in communist china

[โ€“] howrar@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 year ago

China is very much capitalist and has been for at least three decades now.

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