China joins the world's most exclusive ITS technology club

China has joined the only two countries in the world – Germany and Japan - to have developed maglev (magnetic levitation) high-speed rail technology.
January 31, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
China has joined the only two countries in the world – Germany and Japan - to have developed maglev (magnetic levitation) high-speed rail technology. On 7 April, 2010, 1890 Chengdu Aircraft Industrial Company, a subsidiary of the 1891 Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), formally handed over to 762 Shanghai Maglev Transportation Development Company (SMTDS) the Chinese-developed maglev train which has a design speed of 500km/h (310mph), and is expected to be put into service during Shanghai Expo in May.

Since 2004, SMTDS has operated the world’s first commercial high-speed maglev line, using trains and technology supplied by 765 Transrapid International, the German partnership of 189 Siemens/1894 ThyssenKrupp. That service, with an operating speed of 430km/h (267mph), travels on a 30km-long double-track, connecting Long Yang Road Station in Shanghai to Pudong International Airport. The journey time is just under eight minutes. Three Transrapid vehicles, each with five sections, make up the maglev fleet. In taking the decision to establish the world’s first commercial maglev service, from the outset the Chinese took a wider view of the project than meeting Shanghai’s transport needs; they saw it as an important demonstration project and proving ground for new 21st century transportation technologies.

After six years of 24/7 commercial operation in Shanghai, and just before the new home-grown maglev train was revealed, there were reports from China in late March that a policy decision to substantially extend the Shanghai service had been taken. Work will begin this year on a maglev line between Shanghai and Hangzhou, the capital city of Zhejiang Province. Journey time for the 200km (124 mile) maglev link will be just half an hour. The new line will incorporate a downtown section of about 34km which will connect the city's two international airports, Pudong and Hongqiao.

Related Content

  • Intel, DG Move join IBTTA annual meeting
    June 23, 2015
    Among the participants in the program International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association’s (IBTTA) 83rd annual meeting are technology company Intel and the European Union’s Directorate- General for Mobility and Transport (DG Move). Hosted by Ireland’s National Roads Authority, the meeting takes place in Dublin, Ireland on 30 August to 2 September, bringing together toll industry professionals to share knowledge and ideas and discuss the most pressing topics in the field in a country that has gone thro
    Read More
  • Cenex joins Europe’s EV road trip
    March 24, 2017
    Cenex, the UK’s first Centre of Excellence for low carbon and fuel cell technologies, is to participate in the European leg of the Global Electric Vehicle Road Trip (EVRT) and E-Mobility Events, a 6,500 km long road trip through ten European countries, from 25 April to 10 May, showcasing the best of electric vehicle technology and innovation. Cenex will speak at the tour’s two high-level industry conferences in London on 25 April and Paris on 9 May, offering EVRT’s international audience of transportati
    Read More
  • Siemens traffic solutions improve Amsterdam bottleneck
    July 9, 2013
    Solutions supplied by Siemens are helping to improve traffic conditions at the Coentunnel, one of the most heavily used traffic arteries in the Netherlands, used by 100,000 vehicles every day. The tunnel, which links Amsterdam to the province of North Holland, has been a cause of traffic congestion and delays for many years. A much-needed second tunnel opened in spring 2013, together with a three kilometre long elevated section of freeway connecting the tunnel with the southern part of the city to relieve t
    Read More
  • Singapore and China develop dual-currency transit card
    August 22, 2013
    In what is claimed to be a world first, the world's first dual currency transport smart card is being developed for use in Singapore and the Chinese province of Guangdong. The contactless smart card, or Sino visitor pass, will be launched in the first half of 2014 by Singapore payment service provider EZ-Link and Guangdong Lingnan Pass Company, allowing commuters to travel in both cities with just one card. The smart card will store both Singapore dollars and Chinese Renminbi and will also be accepted
    Read More

Highlighted Content