That’s about 267mph by my reckoning! And this takes place every day, as many of you may already have guessed, on the Shanghai Maglev (Magnetic Levitation) Train. Over the last five years, I have tried several times to try this wonder of modern science, only to be thwarted by mechanical failures on their part, or bad timing on my part. Well, last Friday, when leaving the 2008 EMC Expo (in this rather amazing city all round!), I finally got my ticket for the “Maglev”. Completed in 2002, the service runs between a purpose-built, futuristic station on Longyang Road on the outer edges of the city of Shanghai and the new Pudong airport, constructed across the (Huangpu) river from downtown Shanghai.Built as joint venture between the City of Shanghai and the two German industrial firms—Siemens and Thyssen—the train is propelled, or rather pulled along two magnetic rails, rather like an unraveled motor, which constantly places a moving magnetic attraction in front of the train. After some initial mechanical problems in 2003, the service is now running smoothly and judging by my trip last week, a very popular attraction among locals and business travelers alike. The service covers a 20-mile route between city and airport in just eight minutes. The ride is, not surprisingly, very smooth since there are no wheels in contact with rails. It does not feel like riding a 250-mph train until you realize that the taxis on the main highway also leading to the airport are traveling at approx 70 mph—we passed them as if they were Chinese bicycles!You can find more here (http://www.smtdc.com/en/index.asp) on the official website, and if you you’d like to take a virtual ride now, just hop on over to YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-54gBLwK3s ) —note how they bank the train on a curve as the speed increases! It’s a lot of fun for $6 (50 RMB).
Electromagnetics at 431 kmh!
