(Newswire.net — September 18, 2019) — China has introduced the prototype of the world’s fastest train, the so-called Maglev (Magnet Levitation), which can develop speeds of more than 370 mph (600 kilometers per hour).
The world’s fastest train is scheduled to carry its first passengers in 2021, according to international media. The 53-meter-long prototype was developed by the Chinese state-owned railway company CRRC.
The Maglev train will be faster than the currently fastest train in the world – the “Shanghai Fog,” which reaches speeds of 267 mph. The newly introduced model accelerates with the help of magnetic forces and literally floats in the air.
Due to its low resistance and powerful electric motors and floating on magnetic field, this train is quiet running and can develop incredible speed.
Japan is also testing its new super-fast train, but its maximum speed is around 260 miles per hour which is slower than the current record holder, the Chinese “Shanghai Fog”.
The fastest train in Europe is the Eurostar, the international high-speed train that has a max speed of 180 mph. It connects London with Amsterdam, Avignon, Brussels, Bourg-Saint-Maurice, Disneyland Paris, Lille, Fréthun, Lyon, Marseille, Paris, and Rotterdam.
CRRC engineer Ding Sansan used the Beijing-Shanghai route as a reference for fog high speed tests.
“With the time for preparation of flight it takes four and a half hours for an airplane to fly this rout,” said Sansang. He added that the fast train will take five and a half hours but with the new Maglev it would take thee and the half hours for the same destination.
The production of the five-wagon superfast mag-lev train will begin next year the authorities said. All train testing should be completed by 2021.
For this project the Chinese government allocated 3.1 trillion Juan (half a trillion USD).
Maglev is a system of train transportation that uses two sets of magnets, one set to repel and push the train up off the track, then another set to move the ‘floating train’ ahead at great speed taking advantage of the lack of friction.
With maglev technology, there are no moving parts. The train is the only moving part that travels along a guideway of magnets which control the train’s stability and speed. Maglev trains are therefore quieter and smoother than conventional trains, and have the potential for much higher speeds.