A bibliometric mapping study on advances in the operational safety of maglev trains

Magnetic levitation (maglev) trains represent a pivotal advancement in high-speed transportation. However, research on their aerodynamics and operational safety is complex and fragmented across various disciplines, creating a barrier to a holistic understanding of the field’s progress. This study aims to systematically analyze the global research landscape of maglev train safety to construct a comprehensive knowledge map, identify key research clusters, and forecast emerging trends. A bibliometric mapping approach was employed, analyzing 491 relevant publications sourced from the Web of Science (WOS) core collection from 1990 to 2025. The study utilized VOSviewer and CiteSpace to conduct a multi-faceted analysis, including spatio-temporal distribution, collaboration networks, keyword co-occurrence, and citation bursts. The analysis reveals a rapid expansion in publication output since 2013, with China emerging as the dominant country in research volume. A collaborative network of key institutions, primarily in China, leads research with distinct thematic specializations. Research hotspots have evolved from foundational topics like ”suspension system” and ”nonlinear control” to current frontiers such as ”high-speed maglev”, ”simulation”, ”vehicle dynamics”, and ”superconducting magnets”. The findings underscore an interplay where aerodynamic factors like ambient wind, lateral/vertical aerodynamic load, drag and wake flow directly impact safety aspects including levitation stability and guidance performance. This study provides a quantitative and visual overview of the field, revealing a clear research trajectory moving from foundational technical verification toward solving complex safety challenges in high-speed, commercial-scale applications.