A closer look
Because even when you defeat the friction of the earth, the very atmosphere itself becomes your enemy. Maglev trains float gracefully above their tracks, eliminating the pesky rolling resistance of steel wheels. However, when you start propelling a multi-ton metal tube past 300 miles per hour, the air in front of it acts like an invisible, heavy wall. The massive energy costs of modern maglev systems aren't actually spent hovering; they're spent violently punching a hole through the atmosphere just to arrive early.
