By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
China racing to overtake the United States in technology has unveiled a train that travels at 600 kilometres per hour, faster than an aeroplane, and faster than the latest Japanese bullet train in the making hoping to hit the tracks at 500km per hour.
The new technology in rail transportation with its prototype high-speed magnetic levitation bullet train beats the current Beijing rail that goes at 350km per hour.
The train was developed by China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) and the government is working on putting it in service by the second half of 2021.
Magnetic levitation is a kind of technology in a train transport system where magnetic forces are deployed to make trains travel at very great speed.
With the use of two magnetic forces, the train is pushed forward at a pace that makes it ‘float’ and the speed is boosted by the lack of friction between the train and the tracks.
CRRC Deputy Chief Engineer, Ding Sansan, said the train can travel from Beijing to Shanghai in about 3.5 hours, beating an aeroplane’s speed of 4.5 hours.
Tests before full operation
The new train will go through great tests before it launches. A centre and a production building are being set up for the new service.
CNN had reported in May 2019 that a new floating bullet train capable of hitting speeds of 600 kilometres per hour (about 372 miles/hour) was one step closer to reality in China.
That month, the body prototype for the latest high-speed magnetic-levitation (maglev) train project rolled off the assembly line in the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao.
Developed by the state-owned CRRC – the world’s largest supplier of rail transit equipment – the sleek-looking train is scheduled to go into commercial production in 2021 following extensive tests.
Those involved with the project are optimistic it will completely transform China’s travel landscape, filling the gap between high-speed rail and air transportation.
“Take Beijing to Shanghai as an example – counting preparation time for the journey, it takes about 4.5 hours by plane, about 5.5 hours by high-speed rail, and [would only take] about 3.5 hours with [the new] high-speed maglev,” said Sansan, head of the train’s research and development team, in a statement.
While the cruising speed of an aircraft is 800-900 km/h, at present trains on the Beijing-Shanghai line have a maximum operating speed of 350 km/h.
Five years in development
Maglev trains use magnetic repulsion both to levitate the train up from the ground, which reduces friction, and to propel it forward.
After nearly three years of technical research, Ding told CNN last May the team had developed a lightweight and high-strength train body that lays the technical foundation for the development of five sets of maglev engineering prototypes.
Japan’s maglev ambitions
CNN recalls that in the 1960s Japan revolutionised train technology with the bullet train. Japan’s newest Maglev promises to break world records.
China’s new prototype won’t be the first train to surpass the 600-kilometre mark when it hits the testing track.
A Japan Railway maglev train achieved a top spot of 603 km/hour on an experimental track in Yamanashi in 2015, setting a new world record.
Japan is now developing a new Chuo Shinkansen maglev line, with trains set to hit top speeds of about 500 kph.
The first phase of the project, connecting Tokyo and Nagoya, is scheduled to be completed in 2027 and is expected to cut travelling time between those cities by half.
Maglev in China, South Korea, Japan
China’s first commercial maglev system, a 30-km stretch between Shanghai Putong Airport and the city centre, opened in 2002. It has hit speeds of 431km per hour and was the world’s fastest commercial maglev system by 2019.
The project was co-created by Shanghai Maglev Transportation Development Co. Ltd., a German Consortium consisting of Siemens AG, Thyssen Transrapid GMBH and Transrapid International GMBH.
While the maglev technology has been developed and touted as the future of train transportation for decades, there are only a handful of countries operating maglev trains around the world: China, South Korea and Japan.
