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Shanghai rushes maglev project

A magnetic levitation, or maglev, passenger train is tested in Shanghai on Nov. 22. The German-made train, which links Pudong International Airport to the city, has achieved speeds of 405 kph in recent tests. PHOTO: AP

Chinese and German engineers are rushing to prepare the world's first commercial magnetic levitation train for a debut run some time around New Year's Day.

The futuristic German-made "maglev" train has begun trial runs on its 31km-long track in Shanghai, Shi Qiong, a spokeswoman for the Shanghai Maglev Transportation Corp, said Tuesday.

The US$1 billion train connects the 3-year-old Pudong International Airport with the city's new Pudong financial district.

Other potential customers have been put off by maglev's high price and daunting technical challenges, but China's largest, richest city seems to hope that having the first will add to its image as a high-tech hub.

Critics say the project will never pay for itself, in part because customers will balk at its reported one-way ticket price of 50 yuan (US$6.25).

Shi and other officials refused to disclose details of the trial runs. But the government-run Xinhua News Agency said the train had reached a speed of 405kph in a test run last week, nearing its design speed of 430kph.

Maglev can attain those speeds -- far faster than any passenger train -- because it floats in the air, held above its rails by powerful magnets.

By contrast, bullet trains such as France's TGV, Germany's ICE and Japan's Shinkansen top speeds of about 260kph.

The maglev train can cover the distance to the airport in seven minutes. Taxis take at least half an hour by highway.

China's Premier Zhu Rongji (朱鎔基) and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder may attend the first official run, scheduled for Dec. 31 or Jan. 1, Chinese state media reported.

Shi said last-minute adjustments are still being made to the track, built by Chinese contractors in just a year and a half -- itself a speed record of sorts by the standards of big city public works.

Shi and other officials said delays were still possible. The exact date of the unveiling will depend on the tests now underway.

"Time is not the most important thing. We have to guarantee 100 percent safety and quality," she said.

The trial runs are being made with three trains delivered in August from Germany, where the technology was developed.

State planners will also be watching the train in considering whether to use the new technology in larger projects, such as a planned high-speed rail link between Shanghai and Beijing.
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