In order to study the characteristics of the long stator section on high-speed electromagnetic suspension (EMS) Maglev trains, a lumped-parameter model was derived based on the equivalent circuit theory in this paper for calculating the performances of the iron-core synchronous linear motor within one stator section. The German Transrapid 08 type Maglev train was selected as a typical example for studying, the section parameters in the equivalent model were obtained by the analytical method and the electromotive force, as well as propulsion force were solved by a 3-D finite element method. Via the proposed lumped-parameter model, the characteristics of driven current, terminal voltage and acceleration distance, etc. of the stator section could be solved, also the potential of applying the current configuration to a higher train speed was discussed. Finally, taking the key parameters of stator sections and the characteristics of acceleration/ power factor as dominant variables and design targets, respectively. Based on the derived model, Elitist Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-II) was employed for solving its multi-objective optimization problem, and some typical Pareto solutions were chosen for investigating the optimal targets under different configurations.