Traveling by train next to a commercial plane sounds like a dream for busy people.
Now, China it is getting closer to making this possible for its 1.4 billion citizens.
The country has just started building a new line for its ‘maglev’ network – which uses magnets to lift carriages above the tracks.
Ultimately, China wants to build more maglev trains across the country, which would cover a distance of more than 621 miles (1,000km) for passengers.
This pushes it to the speed of a Boeing 737 airplane at cruising speed – 560 mph.
The maglev trains will be carried in hyperloops – closed loops to reduce air pressure and thus allow the maglev trains to travel faster.
However, there is some engineering work to be done – the fastest trains in history have traveled below 400mph.
China already has two high-speed rail lines – Changsha Maglev and Shanghai Maglev – but these only travel as fast as 62 mph and 268 mph, respectively.
China wants to build a massive network of maglev trains – which use magnets to lift passengers above the tracks. These will be transported in hyperloops – closed tunnels to reduce air resistance and thus make maglev trains go faster.
China has now begun construction of a new part of the maglev network Global Timesthe daily newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party.
The expansion will stretch 30 miles (48.7km) between Changsha and Liuyang in Hunan province, the Global Times reports, citing a statement from the government.
The purchase of 10.44 billion yuan (£1.1 billion), is an extension of the existing Changsha Maglev line, which is the second magnetic line in China after the Shanghai Maglev, the world’s first high-speed line.
The designed speed of the train will be around 100mph (160km) per hour, but some lines in the country’s maglev network run faster than this.
The Shanghai Maglev, which opened more than two decades ago, remains the fastest train in the world with a top speed of 268mph (431 km/h).
Carrying thousands of people and tourists a day, the Shanghai Maglev travels 30.5 kilometers between two terminals in the city in less than 7.5 minutes.
Although China has been using maglev technology for nearly two decades on a limited scale, it has big ambitions to expand it nationwide.
Parts of the network can be ‘hyperloop’, meaning they transport people at high speeds on tubes between remote locations.
China already has the first commercial machinery in the world. The Shanghai Maglev (pictured) opened more than two decades ago, and remains the fastest commercial train in the world.
Although China has been using maglev technology for nearly two decades on a limited scale, it has big ambitions to expand it nationwide. Pictured, inside a train on the Changsha Maglev network in 2016
The idea – developed in 1910 by the US engineer Robert Goddard – received new attention in 2013 thanks to a multi-billion dollar business white paper by Images of SpaceX the initiator Elon Musk.
Currently, maglev speeds are limited to less than 300 kilometers per hour due to the air inconsistencies encountered during these trips.
But vacuum tube designs known as hyperloops could allow them to travel up to seven times faster in the future.
Chinese engineers are still working on trains that will be able to travel at the world’s highest speeds on a futuristic maglev network.
For example, the ‘T-Flight’ aircraft operated by the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) it recently reached a top speed of 387mph on a short test track.
Such a run would take less than two hours from Beijing to Shanghai – a journey of more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles).
By comparison, the journey took three hours by plane and 5.5 hours by high-speed rail.
China also has ‘Fuxing’ high-speed trains, but they do not use maglev (magnetic levitation) technology.
The existing Changsha Maglev line is China’s second maglev line after the Shanghai Maglev. In the photos, the Changsha maglev train arrives at Langli Station
China also has ‘Fuxing’ high-speed trains, but they do not use maglev (magnetic levitation) technology. Pictured, Fuxing Railway departs from Fuzhounan Railway Station
However, China to achieve its ambitious maglev will take many years, not to mention billions of pounds equivalent The UK’s upcoming HS2 train line (which in comparison goes 225mph).
Countries from Japan to Germany are also looking to build maglev networks, although high costs and inconsistencies remain barriers to rapid development.
The fastest train in the world was built by Japan, but it is supposed to be used for commercial purposes.
Operated by the Japan Railways Group, the maglev train set a world record when it reached 374mph (603kph) on a test run in 2016.
A maglev train in Japan reached 361mph on a test track in 2003.
WHAT IS A HYPERLOOP?
The Hyperloop is a transportation system that can carry people at up to 700mph between remote locations.
It was unveiled by Elon Musk in 2013, who at the time said it could take passengers 380 miles (610km) from LA to San Francisco in 30 minutes – half the time it takes to fly.
It is a long tube that has been evacuated to create a vacuum. For safety reasons, Hyperloop tunnels require fire escape windows.
The tube is anchored to the ground to protect it from weather and earthquakes.
Now there are several companies that want to bring the technology, including Elon Musk himself, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, and Virgin Hyperloop One.
As several companies compete to build the first working Hyperloop, Elon Musk’s vision for transportation is gaining traction. public administration.
