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

  • User-based insurance joins the battle for big data
    November 10, 2015
    User-based insurance is blazing a trail others would like to follow and is also discovering the challenges. The ITS sector needs to keep a very careful eye on the automotive industry: “There’s a war going on in the connected car space creating richer datasets than we ever imagined possible” says Paul Stacy, research and development director of Wunelli, part of the LexisNexis group. The car makers have gone way beyond infotainment, unlocking huge amounts of data in the process … facts and figures which the i
    Read More
  • Wi-Fi win-win for mass transit
    October 31, 2014
    David Crawford explores passenger and operator benefits of on-board Wi-Fi Urban commuters’ growing demand for continuous – and reliable - internet connectivity is spurring network operators into the rapid installation of high-grade Wi-Fi access on their surface and underground networks, as well as in their stations. Such moves are often a key part of strategies to maintain and increase ridership levels.
    Read More
  • New Haven shows small can be beautiful
    October 22, 2014
    Connecticut’s new administration is using smart policy and ITS solutions to bridge social divides. Andrew Bardin Williams investigates. With only 130,000 residents, New Haven can hardly be called a metropolis. Measuring less than 502km (18 square miles), the city is huddled against the coast, squeezed between two mountains (appropriately called East Rock and West Rock) that, at 111m and 213m (366ft and 700ft) respectively, can hardly be called mountains. The airport is small and has limited service, and th
    Read More
  • Autotalks demos China V2X interoperability
    November 9, 2020
    Company worked with five car makers including Great Wall, Dongfeng and Brilliance Auto
    Read More

Highlighted Content