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China recently showed the prototype of a new high speed train that is capable of reaching 620 kilometers per hour, beating the record-setting Maglev L0 Series in Japan with 603 km/h. However, the developers hope to increase its speed a 800 km/h, as reported by Melissa. That means it could transport passengers between Beijing and Shanghai in just 3.5 hours. By plane, for example, the journey takes about 2 hours without stopovers.
The elegant 21-meter-long prototype was presented at Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province in southwest China. In addition, the Jiaotong University researchers built 165 meters of track to demonstrate what the train would look like in operation.
High temperature technology
What sets this prototype apart from other maglev trains is that it runs on high temperature superconducting energy (HTS), which makes the train appear to float along the magnetized tracks. It has been manufactured by Southwest Jiaotong University, China Railway Group Limited and CRRC Corporation Limited with an investment close to 9 million euros.
In general, Maglev trains, powered by powerful magnets to avoid friction between wheels, use a low temperature superconductor, which obliga to accelerate before levitating. Instead, the HTS allows the vehicle to levitate directly, with what is consumed less energy when accelerating. The portal CGTN reported that attendees were able to move the 12-ton prototype with a single finger during the presentation.
Professor He Chuan, Vice President of Southwest Jiaotong University, revealed to reporters that the train could be “Operational” in the next three to ten years. In addition, he stressed that “Sichuan has rich land resources, which is very beneficial for our permanent magnet track construction, thus promoting the faster development of experiments”, As stated in the CNN.