It's official - China accelerates into the future with a magnetic levitation train that promises to reach 600 km/h (600 mph)

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China presents a new magnetic levitation train developed by CRRC that is designed to reach speeds of up to 600 km/h. Beijing and Shanghai are the key routes for the inclusion of this new train. Asian Times explains that this new railway model is an evolution of the previous CRRC Qindao Sifang project. This train model also competes for the title of leading maglev train with Japan Railways’ L0 series. China Global Television Network (CGTN) reported the results of the Donghu Laboratory, which was able to achieve a maximum acceleration of a 1.1-ton vehicle to 650 kilometers per hour in just 7 seconds. This will represent a breakthrough in rail mobility and a turning point.

The new idea of magnetic levitation transport

Although not available in Spain, the idea of magnetic levitation transport, or maglev, has been established in countries as an alternative to conventional transport. These systems have already reached absurd speeds of up to 600 kilometers per hour. And now, China wants its own.

Or rather, it will have it. According to local media reports such as AsiaTimes, China has unveiled a prototype of its new maglev train, which aims to reach no less than those coveted 600 km/h, with the hope of surpassing the best trains of its competitors.

The Chinese 600 km/h maglev train

The demonstration unit presented in China was developed by the China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) and was exhibited at the 17th Beijing Modern Railway Exhibition, an event held from July 8 to 10.

At the same venue, both the China State Railway Group and the International Union of Railways (UIC) organized the 12th World Congress on High-Speed Rail. Thus, it was the perfect event for this new maglev.

According to local media reports, the first phase of engineering for this train was completed in July 2024, with a view to future test sets focused on safety and engineering feasibility assessments.

Ensuring the commercial viability of this train

The goal is none other than to ensure the commercial viability of this train, which, according to CRRC, will be capable of reaching speeds of 600 kilometers per hour. In other words, it will be able to complete the journey between Beijing and Shanghai in just two and a half hours.

To put this into perspective, the same journey is made by the Shanghai magnetic levitation train, which, in terms of commercial operation, is the fastest in the country: 430 kilometers per hour, far from the 600 promised by this demonstrator.

Shao Nan, senior engineer at CCRC, said the train would complement “the existing network to implement point-to-point transport.” Not only that, but in Nan’s words, the train “can bridge the speed gap between high-speed rail and aviation with an accuracy of 2,000 km/h.”

It will do so thanks to a system of retractable rubber wheels, which will be responsible for moving the machinery as long as the train is below the 150 kilometers per hour limit. Once that barrier is exceeded, magnetic levitation will take over.

There is no plan for its commercial launch

The downside is that, although many details about this train have been revealed, there is no concrete plan for its commercial launch, a process that could take several years if not carried out optimally.

However, there is hope. AsiaTimes reports that this demonstrator could be based on a project from almost 10 years ago, which was also developed by companies close to CRRC and also promised 600 km/h.

They refer to the CRRC 600, developed by sister company CRRC Qingdao Sifang and announced in 2016, which promised similar performance. It was not until September 2023 that it was able to be exhibited at the Hefei World Manufacturing Convention.

Even in its current state and being optimistic, the new maglev train still has a long way to go. In addition to the necessary infrastructure, we must add strong competition in this sector, with ideas that already exceed the 600 km/h barrier.

A maximum speed of 603 kilometers per hour

On the commercial front, we have the L0 series, Japanese maglev bullet trains developed by Japan Railways, which hold the current speed record for a commercial magnetic levitation train: a maximum of 603 kilometers per hour.

At the end of June, China Global Television Network (CGTN) reported the results of the Donghu Laboratory, which was able to achieve a maximum acceleration of a 1.1-ton vehicle to 650 kilometers per hour in just 7 seconds.

It’s official – China accelerates into the future with a magnetic levitation train that promises to reach 600 km/h (600 mph)