China Travel Notes & News

Maglev Train Will Link Shanghai and Hangzhou The Chinese government has tentatively approved a plan to build a Maglev railway between Shanghai and Hangzhou. A new transportation technology developed in Germany, Maglev utilizes magnetic forces to move a train at super speed. Unlike conventional trains, a Maglev train floats on its guide-way and can travel as fast as 450 kilometers per hour - that is 60% faster than the famous Bullet Train in Japan. The world’s only existing Maglev train service today is in Shanghai. Linking the central part of Pudong district to Pudong International Airport, the Shanghai Maglev train covers 30 kilometers in just 8 minutes. Hangzhou is located southwest of Shanghai. The capital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou is an important political and economic center in the region, as well as a popular tour destination. The planned Maglev railway will be 205 kilometers in length, and once completed, the train service will reduce the travel time between Shanghai and Hangzhou to just 40 minutes. Commercial operation of the railway is scheduled to begin in 2010. Back to China Notes and News