China Tests Systems for Ultra-High-Speed Maglev Trains

On Sunday, Jan. 15, Chinese media reported the successful testing of some systems developed for extremely high-speed trains. China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) has plans to operate trains in evacuated tubes—tunnels with most of the air removed. At high speeds, the greatest source of friction hindering the motion of a train is air resistance, so by removing the air, that source of friction will be reduced. A network of evacuated tubes could allow travel by train just as fast as by airplane.