In the night from 13 to 14 september 2017, a Transrapid TR09, the latest model from the leading series of magnetic field trains, was transported to Nortrup. The company Kemper, relatives of the inventor of this technology, purchased this from the German government.
Heavy haul trucks transported the 3 sections of the 75 m long train. 
Journalists and spectators gathered around the gate of the former TVE in Lathen to witness the transport leaving.
Representatives of the GfM, the International Maglev Board, welsterra and Stichting Freedom of Mobility were at the scene and interviewed by some of the TV-crews. They stressed that Germany should be aware of how much the Transrapid is valued amongst Maglev experts.
Despite the stormy weather and some tight road curves, the transport went smoothly. The wind was no problem for the up to 505 km/h fast train and hence the transport reached in Nortrup at the end of the night.
There too, the press and quite a few residents were awaiting the arrival. The Kemper Company celebrated this day with free bread with delicious bratwurst and drinks for all hungry persons present.
In the early morning, the lifting started of the Transrapid onto a purposely-built concrete track on the company’s premises.
Due to imbalance and the weather, it took somewhat longer, but in the afternoon the first vehicle section was resting at the track.
The Kemper Company is going to use the train as a conference and training office, as well as opening part to the public for exposition as to why it is here.
The company will also partly construct a glass station-like building around it. They hope to have it all ready in time for the company’s 130-year anniversary.
About (this) Transrapid
The Transrapid TR09 class was conceived as a super speed intercity, regional or airport express. As a result of many decennia of successful development, Transrapid is the worlds only fully automated system that is officially approved for fast passenger transport.
But with a huge list of overdue work on the existing infrastructure and still ongoing effects of the unification, Germany had and, for the foreseeable future, still has other priorities than large-scale construction of new Maglev infrastructure. After cancelling the Munich project in 2008, it proved difficult for Germany to export this technology that they had not been able to use in their own country.
A Transrapid route can be adapted more easily than a high-speed rail route. The latest promising project, a 120 km long route on Tenerife, needed 24-41 km (!) less tunnelling compared to the alternatives. However, few other foreign projects used this advantage. Unfortunately, Spain cut the islands infrastructure funding in 2011-2012 as a result of the credit crisis.
Lacking other short-term applications, the TVE Development and Training Centre was closed and the first production model of the Transrapid TR09 was auctioned. The Kemper Company will cherish this Transrapid as part of their family history.
It doesn’t make the Transrapid technology itself history, though. There are still ongoing projects considering Maglev with a horizon on the year 2040 like in the U.S. and even in the Netherlands. ThyssenKrupp meanwhile maintains the technology for new opportunities and uses parts of it in other products. Also China, Korea, Japan, as well as Hyperloop, train manufacturers and even the IC industry continue to build on the wealth of knowledge from Transrapid technology.
