Juri Nitzling
The Transrapid stands as an emblem of a technological future that never fully materialized. As a symbol of national innovation and the “mobility of the future,” the magnetic levitation train of the 1990s intertwined technological visions, political ambitions, and societal expectations. After the fatal accident in 2006 and the subsequent closure of the test facility in the Emsland, what remained of this imagined future are, above all, ruins – material, institutional, and imaginary. Its potential as a case for this conference lies in these multi-layered contingencies between speculating, realizing and ultimately abandoning collective improvement by technological means.
This proposed case invites participants to explore the Transrapid as a site where notions of future, risk, and sustainability were negotiated. It focuses on three perspectives:
- the technological specificities of magnetic levitation, the history of its feasibility and economic and ecological ambivalence;
- the social and political processes that accompanied – and ultimately doomed – the project, the idiosyncrasies of re-emerging and again vanishing infrastructural ambitions, and
- the afterlives of “lost” future technologies and their associated imaginaries, their broad societal relevance contrasted with current hype-cycles of hypercapitalist technological innovation.
From an STS perspective, we ask: What can be salvaged from the abandonment of such a major sociotechnical project? And what can not? How do we deal with what has been lost – As such we will inquire about the possible social realities of the Ruhrgebiet, whose inhabitants once envisioned travelling through an even denser and faster-connected Metropolitan Area on a MetroRapid.
The case will include a site visit to the Bochum Railway Museum to see the prototype Transrapid TR07 car exhibited there. In addition, a conversation with a member of Transrapid Emsland e.V. will offer insights into practices of care for the test facility ruin, such as remembering, archiving, and restoration – dedicated to preserving and documenting the history and future of the Transrapid.
The structure of the day remains open to ideas and input from participants. A shared video call before the conference will help us discuss how to integrate different perspectives and to co-create the program.
Program Structure
Phase 1: Meeting at the University – Opening Discussion
Introduction to the topic and getting to know the participants. Framing of key questions regarding the case. Short-Inputs by participants.
Phase 2: Visit to the Bochum Railway Museum
Guided exploration of the Transrapid TR07 prototype and related exhibits.
Lunch Break
Phase 3: Conversation with Transrapid Emsland e.V.
Held in the Railway Museum’s conference room.
Insights into practices of care such as preservation, documentation and mediation.
Phase 4: Summary Discussion and Conclusion
Reflection on the case study and collective synthesis of insights from the site visit and discussions. Outlook towards further research and outcome.
Outcome
Our aim is an initial exploration of interrelations and sociopolitical relevance of the case, by which we establish a workable basis and an engaged team for the creation of a small reader or zine targeted to a scientific and public audience, interested in the future of mobility, but unfamiliar with the contingent history of the Transrapid. This zine can include archival footage, freeform essay, political and economical analysis and interviews, synthesized through the methods of STS inquiry. As sources and close collaborations could serve the Railway Museum Bochum, German Museum Bonn and above all the Transrapid Emsland e.V. with their visitors center and archive. Further interest groups for distribution and funding are currently examined.
Practical Information:
Costs: €11.00 entrance fee (Railway Museum)
Participants: Up to 10
Transportation: Minor additional costs could arise for the transport from Ruhr University
Bochum to the Railway Museum. It will take us approximately 20 minutes.
Participants
This case invites applications from all interested in the intersections of technology, mobility, and society. A mix of disciplines and experience levels is encouraged, from students to senior researchers. Participants will engage actively with the Transrapid case, but are also invited to contribute their own research on “lost future technologies" for discussion and comparison. Those wishing to present a 5-minute short input of reflections, associations or related theory, will be very welcome.
To help select a fitting and diverse group, potential participants are kindly asked to briefly answer the following questions:
- What is a personally significant travel route that you take frequently – and how would your travel experience or travel time change if you could take the Transrapid?
- What perspective or expertise would you like to contribute to the group discussion (e.g., methodological, theoretical, regional, or historical)?
- Are you interested in offering a short input during the workshop? Could you imagine collaborating further on the zine/reader creation by a contribution of any desired form and category?