The first prototype of a new 'magnetic-levitation' (maglev) train has rolled off the production line in the Chinese city of Qingdao. The prototype can reach speeds of up to 600 km/h and will undergo extensive testing in the coming period. The train should go into commercial production in 2021.
A maglev train, also known as a magnetic-levitation train, is a vehicle that floats about 10 to 20 millimetres above its track thanks to a magnetic field. As a result, the vehicle does not come into contact with the track, which ensures low drag and allows a higher top speed than traditional trains. The concept is not new; experiments with the technology have been conducted since the 1960s.
Five commercial magnetic-levitation trains in operation
Five commercial magnetic-levitation trains are currently in operation, including three in China, one in Japan and one in South Korea. These trains, incidentally, by no means all reach high speeds. For instance, Japan's Linimo maglev train runs at a maximum of 100 km/h, while South_Korean Incheon Airport Maglev has a maximum speed of 110 km/h.
Only one is a high-speed line: the Shanghai Transrapid in China. This magnetic levitation train has a maximum speed of 430 km/h. In 2027, Japan is expected to launch the world's second high-speed maglev train line. This train will reach a maximum speed of 505 km/h.
However, the new prototype that has now rolled off the production line in China is even faster, with a maximum speed of 600 km/h. Incidentally, this speed was previously achieved by a maglev train from Japan Railway, which used it to set a speed record for maglev trains of 603 km/h in 2015. This speed record was set with the high-speed maglev train due to enter service in Japan in 2027.
Filling gap between high-speed trains and aviation
The new Chinese maglev train was designed by China Railway Rolling Stock Company (CRRC), which is owned by the Chinese state. With the new train, CRRC aims to fill the gap between high-speed trains and aviation. Ding Sansan, deputy chief engineer at CRRC, explained to CNN: "Take the journey between Beijing and Shanghai, for example. Including preparation for the trip, it takes about 4.5 hours by plane, about 5.5 hours by high-speed train and only 3.5 hours by the high-speed maglev."
Ding reports that he and his team spent three years researching the maglev train. Based on this research, a lightweight train has been developed that forms the technical foundation for prototypes the team is working on. The prototype now produced is the first of a series of five. The prototypes will be tested by CRRC subsidiary CRRC Qingdao Sifang. This organisation is currently building a test centre and a production centre for China's magnetic high-speed trains. These new centres are expected to be operational in the second half of 2019.
Hyperloop
Another train that uses magnets is the Hyperloop, which has received a lot of media attention in recent years. The Hyperloop is a high-speed train that rides a vacuum tube. This vacuum allows it to achieve even higher speeds than with a 'regular' magnetic levitation train; the Hyperloop is expected to reach speeds of more than 1,200 km/h.
The Hyperloop comes from the mind of entrepreneur and entrepreneur Elon Musk, known for SpaceX, Tesla and the Boring Company, among others. To accelerate the development of the Hyperloop, SpaceX wrote the Hyperloop Pod Competition in July 2015. Participating teams were challenged to build and test a Hyperloop capsule on a 1.6-kilometre test track near Space X's headquarters in US California. This competition was won by TU Delft's Dutch student team Delft Hyperloop. The German WARR team from Munich managed to achieve the highest speed.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Source: China Railway Rolling Stock Company
Source: CNN
