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

  • Professional training key to the future of ITS
    May 21, 2012
    A substantial portfolio of resources is available and expanding, to help employers and professionals build essential skills for current and future needs – the ITS Professional Capacity Building Program. Pete Goldin reports. The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) views ITS as key to the future of transportation, as is evident from the department’s ITS Professional Capacity Building (PCB) program. This is a further manifestation of USDOT’s commitment to ITS. The PCB program provides anyone in the transpo
    Read More
  • OnStar launches traffic avoidance service in China
    November 16, 2012
    In a bid to help its 500,000 subscribers avoid traffic, Shanghai OnStar, the Chinese joint venture between General Motors, SAIC, and Shanghai GM, has announced the launch of a new feature. Aptly named Avoid Traffic, the service is an improvement to turn-by-turn navigation that utilises real-time traffic information to route users around traffic congestion via OnStar’s familiar turn-by-turn voice commands.
    Read More
  • Ranked: the world's most congested cities
    January 22, 2025
    Inrix data suggests billions of hours are lost worldwide, hampering economies
    Read More
  • Russia's high speed toll link - aims and opportunities
    July 31, 2012
    Construction of a new toll link between the Russian capital of Moscow and the country's second-largest city, the port of St Petersburg, is due to start in 2012. Here, ITS International takes look at the project to date and the opportunities for foreign companies to get involved. The construction of a new toll link between the Russian capital Moscow and the country's second-largest city St Petersburg has a number of aims. It will lead to the creation of a high-speed vehicular link between the two which will
    Read More

Highlighted Content