Linear Motor Driven System

The linear motor used in the Linear Metro system has a thin rectangular body and requires no reduction gear, which is necessary for rotary motor railcars. This lowers the floor height above the rail as compared with conventional rotary motor railcars. When the height of railcar is reduced by approximately 50 cm, the cross-sectional area of tunnels can be reduced to a large extent. In addition, thanks to the non-adhesion drive system, the Linear Metro car can travel on grades as steep as around 8%; around 3.5% is the limit for conventional rotary motor railcars. The capability of running on steep grades expands the degree of freedom in route planning and sometimes reduces tunnel length, contributing to a reduction of construction costs.