The future is now. After five years of research, China unveils its new magnetic levitation train, thus confirming its objective of becoming a technological and scientific power.
The WORLD’s FASTEST magnetic levitation TRAIN
# Pechino – Shangai in 2 hours
The new magnetic levitation supersonic train developed by the “China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation” is called ‘Maglev’. This high-speed train can travel at 600 km/h, thus reducing travel time by as much as 50%. Just think that, at this speed, the Maglev would only take 2.5 hours from Beijing to Shanghai, a journey of more than 1,000 km that would normally take three hours by plane or five and a half hours by train.
Thanks to its 37,900 km of high-speed lines, China is already a leader in rail transportation. Additionally, it is now also conducting research on the development of interurban and inter-provincial lines using magnetic levitation trains.
# The train that FLOATS on tracks
The Maglev train, the fastest train in the world, is part of a project to for the development of a high-speed railway line. The new Chinese train is designed to travel with 2 to 10 cars, each capable of holding a maximum of 100 people.
By using electromagnetic force, the ‘maglev’ train levitates above the track, with no contact between body and rail. In this way, friction is reduced because the only force that opposes its motion is that of the air, thus generating even less noise.
# Thirty percent more EFFECTIVE than standard trains
According to the China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation, the new prototype, featuring anti-vibration systems and traction hooks, demonstrates a 30% increase in efficiency, thus reducing the braking distance from 16 to 10 kilometers.
However, as always there is a “BUT”. The wired website highlights several limitations, including, in particular, ‘costs and the inability to apply the specifications of this technology to existing infrastructure’.
LAURA MALTAGLIATI
(Original article by Selene Mangiarotti )
