A Chinese magnetic levitation train, using a 1.1 ton test sled, and employing an electromagnetic propulsion system, accelerated to a speed of 650 km per hour (404 mph) after travelling just 600 meters—the fastest speed ever achieved by a maglev—and then braked to a crawl within 220 meters. This is an accomplishment of the greatest precision. This happened at the Donghu Laboratory High-Speed Magnetic Propulsion Technology Center in Hubei province, on June 19, and was apparently first reported on June 29.
The June 29 Spanish newspaper El Adelanto reports that the Chinese technicians that are running the maglev plan to go beyond this level. “Researchers [at the Donghu Laboratory] say their current magnets can handle 800 km/h, though they must lengthen the test track. A 30-km segment outside Wuhan is scheduled for 2027, at which point the team hopes to flirt with four-digit speeds—1,000km/h—once power electronics, cooling and passenger safety hurdles fall.”
