China Tests World’s New Fastest High-Speed ​​Maglev Train | It will travel at more than 600 kilometers per hour

The Chinese-developed magnetic levitation transportation system rolled off the assembly line in Qingdao, eastern Shandong Province, on Tuesday, where it was shown to the public. With a top speed of 600 kilometers per hour, the new high-speed “maglev” train (acronym for magnetic levitation in English) could be the fastest land transport in the world and mark an international milestone.

This is an investment of 60 million yuan (9.3 million dollars). The Maglev project was jointly developed by Southwest Jiaotong University, China Railway Group Limited and CRRC Corporation Limited.

The Maglev method is the fastest in terms of surface transport in the 1,500 kilometer range, according to a CRRC report. the travel from Shenzhen in southern China to Shanghai than the current high-speed train that connects these cities in 10 hours it can be reduced to just 2.5 hours.

This is the latest scientific and technological achievement of the country in the field of rail transit and could reduce the speed difference between the high-speed train and the airplane. It will also allow the connection between Beijing and Shanghai in approximately 3.5 hours., which is currently about 5.5 hours at high speed or nearly 3 hours by plane.

How does the maglev train work?

The train equipped with this technology slides without contact with the track thanks to the effect of electromagnetic force, a modality that the Asian country has been testing for two decades on a limited scale. It should be noted that it does not constantly levitate, but only when it reaches a sufficient speed (approximately from 100 km / h) and begins to produce enough energy to lift it.

China, a world power in the trains

Japan currently holds the speed record for maglev-powered trains, with a mark of 603 kilometers per hour, recorded on the Yamanashi test line on April 21, 2015.

China’s foray into magnetic levitation technology began in October 2016, with a prototype vehicle successfully developed in 2019 and tested in June 2020. Shanghai, China’s financial center, is the only Chinese city to operate a commercial high speed magnetic levitation line. with a maximum speed of 430 km / h.

China has the world’s largest high-speed rail network, covering 95% of cities with more than one million people. The Asian powerhouse aims to build 200,000 kilometers of railways, 460,000 kilometers of roads and 25,000 kilometers of high-level shipping lanes by 2035.

In global maglev train patents, China ranks first in cumulative number of patent applications by 2021, at 43.52%. This is significantly higher than the 20.57% of Japan which ranked second, according to the report published in the Global Times.