China’s program for high-speed maglev trains has taken a further step with the start of construction of a test line that can handle speeds of up to 1,000 kph in North China’s Shanxi Province, reported Global Times on May 26.
The high-speed maglev railway, undertaken by North University of China and the Third Research Institute at China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp., leverages low vacuum and magnetic suspension processes.
These technologies mean trains will have the potential to travel far faster than the current 350 kph high-speed trains, Chinese media reported, citing Ma Tiehua, dean of North University’s School of Electrical and Control Engineering in Taiyuan. Ma predicted that the speed of this futuristic transport mode is likely to exceed 1,000 kph, and reach three or four times that level in the future.
The “super-bullet maglev train” with a maximum speed of 620 kph, is designated to fill the speed gap between the current high-speed railway trains and airplanes that fly at 800 kph.
