> Greentext

The problem isn't gravity, it's friction. The train would functionally be in orbit. The reason why things can't be in orbit at ground level is not because of gravity but because of friction (incl. air resistance).

If you eliminated friction (vacuum tube, frictionless surface, etc.) you could indeed have the train moving without any additional energy after getting it up to speed (and if you get it up to orbital speeds, the frictionless surface isn't even necessary). However, this isn't really practical (obviously).

If there is a nugget of a good idea in here, it's a train that never needs to accelerate or decelerate, just maintain a constant speed. Much of the energy of a train is lost in the stop-and-start.