Maglev train: China launches prototype that can reach speeds of 620 kilometers per hour

Maglev train: China launches prototype that can reach speeds of 620 kilometers per hour

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(CNN) – China has unveiled a prototype for a new high-speed Maglev train that is capable of reaching speeds of 620 kilometers (385 miles) per hour.

The train runs on superconducting high temperature energy (HTS) which makes it look like the train is floating along the magnetized tracks.

The elegant 21-meter-long (69-foot) prototype was revealed to the media in the city of Chengdu, Sichuan province, on January 13. In addition, university researchers built 165 meters (541 feet) of tracks to demonstrate how the train would look and feel in transit, according to state-owned Xinhua News.

Professor He Chuan (vice president of Southwest Jiaotong University, who worked on the prototype) told reporters that the train could be “operational” in 3 to 10 years.

He added: “Sichuan has rich rare earth resources, which is very beneficial for building permanent magnet trails, thereby promoting the faster development of experiments.”

A possible interior for the new Maglev train.

A possible interior for the new Maglev train.

Liu Kun / Xinhua / Sipa USA

China is home to the largest high-speed rail network in the world, stretching over 37,000 kilometers, and the fastest train in commercial operation – the Shanghai maglev.

The country’s first high-speed Maglev train started operating in 2003. Running at a maximum speed of 431 km / h, the train links Shanghai’s Pudong airport and Longyang road on the east side of Shanghai.


China is eager to make further infrastructure improvements ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Last year, China opened a new 174-kilometer high-speed rail line connecting Beijing to the host city of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Zhangjiakou, reducing travel time between two from three hours to 47 minutes.

Earlier this month, the country launched a bullet train designed specifically to withstand freezing temperatures. The CR400AF-G train can travel up to 350 kilometers per hour in climates as cold as -40 degrees Celsius (-40 degrees Fahrenheit).
It will run on routes between Beijing, Shenyang and Harbin – the latter is so cold that it hosts an annual snow and ice festival.

CNN’s Shanshan Wang contributed reporting.

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