On July 20, China officially unveiled its magnetic levitation transportation system capable of speeds up to 600 km/h. This is currently the fastest ground transportation system in the world.
The magnetic levitation transportation system, with a maximum speed of 600 km/h, has officially rolled off the assembly line and was showcased in the coastal city of Qingdao, Shandong Province, Eastern China, after five years of research and development.
The train operates using magnets to levitate above the tracks instead of relying on frictional motion with the rails like conventional trains. China has utilized this magnetic levitation technology for nearly two decades, but on a limited scale.
Currently, Shanghai is the only city in China with a commercial magnetic levitation train system. The train employs German technology and began operations in 2003, running a 30 km route from the city center to Pudong Airport at a maximum speed of 430 km/h.
China’s high-speed magnetic levitation train system. (Photo: Chinanews.jpg).
Within a range of 1,500 km, the new high-speed magnetic levitation train is the fastest mode of transportation. At 600 km/h, the train takes only 2.5 hours to cover the distance of over 1,000 km from Beijing to Shanghai, while passengers would spend about 4.5 hours flying if including preparation time, and 5.5 hours traveling by high-speed rail.
To ensure seamless telecommunications during high-speed operation, the train will utilize a dedicated 5G Wi-Fi system, and passengers will be able to wirelessly charge their mobile phones onboard. To date, the 600 km/h high-speed magnetic levitation transportation system has completed integration and trial operations, which began in January 2021.
It is known that China officially launched the research and production project for the high-speed magnetic levitation train in October 2016, with a prototype completed in 2019 and successfully tested in June 2020. This is the world’s first high-speed magnetic levitation transportation system designed to reach speeds of 600 km/h, marking China’s mastery of synchronous high-speed magnetic levitation technology.
