China's Ministry of Transport gives green light for new tests with a maglev train that can reach a top speed of as much as 600km/h. The train is due to enter service in 2021 and will then be the fastest commercially operating maglev train in the world.
This reports the South China Morning Post (SCMP). A prototype of China's 'magnetic-levitation' (maglev or maglev train) train rolled off the production line in June 2019. Such a train floats 10 to 20 millimetres above its track thanks to a magnetic field. Because the vehicle does not come into contact with the track, it has a low resistance, enabling a higher top speed than conventional trains.
Not new
Maglev trains are not new. Such trains have been experimented with since the 1960s. Five commercial maglev trains are currently in operation, including three in China, one in Japan and one in South Korea. The only high-speed line in the list is the Shanghai Transrapid in China with a maximum speed of 430 km/h.
Japan is also expected to roll out high-speed maglev train in 2017. This Japanese train reaches a maximum speed of 505km/h. Incidentally, during a test, this train from Japan Railway managed to set a speed record of 603km/h.
Alternative to aeroplane
The maglev train being tested in China has been designed by China Railway Rolling Stock Company (CRRC), which is owned by the Chinese state. The new train should fill the gap between existing high-speed trains and aircraft. "Take the journey between Beijing and Shanghai, for example. Including preparation for the trip, it takes about 4.5 hours by plane, about 5.5 hours by high-speed train and only 3.5 hours by the fast maglev," Ding Sansan, deputy chief engineer at CRRC, told CNN about it in 2019.
Wu Donghau, deputy chief engineer at CRRC Qingdao Sifang, tells SCMP: "The development of a high-speed maglev train can help China take the lead in rail transport technology and strengthen the country's lead in high-speed trains."
Two hours less travel time between Beijing and Shanghai
The trains should cut travel time between Beijing and Shanghai by two hours to 3.5 hours, reports state broadcaster CCTV. China announced in July 2020 its intention to create up to nine different routes with magnetic levitation trains, covering a total distance of 1,000 kilometres. Besides the Beijing - Shanghai route, there are also plans for maglev routes between the Yangtze and Pearl Rivers and the cities of Chengdu and Chongqing.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
