China’s world-class, super-fast train network looks set to get even faster.
Beijing engineers recently developed the prototype to a ‘magnetic levitation train’ – a world-class commercial vehicle that travels 373 miles per hour, twice the speed of the Eurostar fleet.
And how fast is fast? Well, the impressive train could travel from London to Paris in 49 minutes.
According to the MailOnline reports, it could ‘also slash the journey time between Shanghai and Beijing – two of the most important cities in China – from 5.5 hours to 3.5 hours’.
It has taken Beijing developers three years to complete the ‘breakthrough’ prototype which uses an ingenious ‘maglev’ technology.
Maglev trains use magnets to lift or ‘levitate’ the carriages above the track and ‘eliminates the need for wheels’. Overall, the train should provide a smoother, faster and quieter service.
The new train will join China’s world-first commercial Maglev system – a billion dollar 30-km (18.6-mile) route in Shanghai which connects Shanghai Pudong Airport and the city centre.
Of course, China is no stranger to high-speed travel. The country’s ‘bullet trains’ are known to jet to 217 miles per hour.
Surprisingly, China’s new magnetic train has an even speedier Japanese rival. The world’s fastest train was built by Japan but it has yet to be put into commercial use, according to MailOnline. This train set the world record after reaching 374 miles per hour on an experimental track in 2016.
Engineers are still testing the functionality of the prototype but the design team is well underway on making five more. They expect to test the trains on commercial train tracks in 2021.
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L’Oréal Blackett is a freelance journalist, broadcaster, and presenter with a lot of hair and a lot to say. A former digital magazine editor covering women’s issues and local news, she now works for a range of media publications including BBC Radio Manchester, Bumble and of course, UNILAD.