A train that can travel faster than a flight? Well, it’s not a dream! China which has been famed for their breathtaking inventions, has already unveiled a prototype of a new magnetic levitation (maglev) train designed to reach speeds of up to 600 km/h. However, before it takes any passengers, the new train, built in the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao, is scheduled to undergo a period of extensive testing.
Maglev technology uses strong electromagnets which lift and propel the train forward on a cushion of air. Without the problem of friction between wheels and rails, maglev trains are able to hit greater speeds than conventional locomotives, and with less noise and vibration.
Ding Sansan, deputy chief engineer at the train’s developer CRRC Qingdao Sifang told the media that a trip from Beijing to Shanghai that takes about four and a half hours by plane, including preparation time for the journey, and about five and a half hours by high-speed rail, might last only three and a half hours on the maglev.
The country has already the world’s fastest commercial maglev service with a top operational speed of 431 km/h since 2003. In 2017, Fuxing bullet trains, another of its kind, went into service on the 1300 km Beijing-Shanghai line at a speed of around 350 km/h. Developers say that the prototype maglev will be so fast it could provide a competitive alternative to air travel.
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