The question in my mind is just: if not for higher speeds, why should you build a maglev line instead of a conventional (high speed / regular) train line? IMHO

The question in my mind is just: if not for higher speeds, why should you build a maglev line instead of a conventional (high speed / regular) train line? IMHO the other purported advantages are not really convincing - it may be a little bit quieter, but the "flexible track routing" sounds very unconvincing: at ground level you would have to fence off the track, so in an urban setting it would probably end up on stilts most of the time. And if you consider that, phrases like "Visually appealing track route for urban use without overhead lines" sound a bit ridiculous - is a concrete guideway on concrete stilts really more visually appealing than tram (or train) rails with overhead line? (In case anyone is wondering: Germany has the luxury problem of having all other cables - power, telecom, etc. - 99% underground, so they can debate the aesthetic impact of overhead lines of trams. Not an issue in most other countries.)