IronLev, a high-tech firm headquartered in the northern Italian town of Treviso, showcased a video of the test at the LetExpo2024 trade fair in the Veneto region on Tuesday.

IronLev test sample. 

The footage shows a one-ton prototype traveling at a speed of 70 km/h (43 mph) over a two-kilometre stretch of line in the hinterland of Venice.

Maglev creates a cushion of air that physically separates the vehicle from the track, reducing friction, noise and vibrations.

The absence of friction makes it possible to drastically reduce energy consumption and maintenance costs for both the vehicle and the infrastructure.

China has been using the technology for almost two decades, albeit on a limited scale. Countries from Japan to Germany have been looking to develop maglev networks, but high costs and incompatibility with existing track infrastructure pose hurdles.

"The test carried out by IronLev represents the first and only case of magnetic levitation applied to an existing railway track without requiring the modification or integration of accessory elements," said Massimo Bergamasco, director of the Institute of Mechanical Intelligence at the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Pisa.