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In July 2021, China unveiled the world's fastest train in the city of Qingdao, in East China's Shandong province.
The maglev train, which can run up to 600 kilometres per hour, was developed in China and pieced together in Qingdao, according to Reuters.
By "floating"
The maglev (short for "magnetic levitation") train breaks the current speed barrier by "floating", literally.
According to the Global Times, the high speed maglev train is suspended and guided above the train tracks via electromagnetic force, with its resistance only coming from the air.
CNN reported that the average high-speed train in China currently runs at about 350 kilometres per hour, while planes fly at about 800-900 kilometres per hour.
Screenshot via New China TV YouTube
Screenshot via New China TV YouTube
Screenshot via New China TV YouTube
According to Liang Jianying, deputy general manager and chief engineer of China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) Sifang, the maglev train is also safer, emits less noise pollution and requires less maintenance than other high-speed trains.
Not yet deployed
At 600 kilometres per hour, the new maglev train will allow one to travel from Beijing to Shanghai (~1,000 km) by train in two-and-a-half hours.
This is compared to a three hour journey by plane, or a five-and-a-half hour journey by high-speed rail today.
While the train has been assembled, however, no track line for the 600 km/h maglev train has yet been deployed in China, according to the Global Times.
It added that several new maglev networks are reportedly under construction, including one linking Shanghai and Hangzhou and another linking Chengdu and Chongqing.
A 1000km/h model
According to a recent article by the Global Times, there is however, still faster to come.
An even faster train – a low-vacuum maglev high-speed train that purportedly runs up to a speed of 1,000 kilometres per hour, in Datong, North China's Shanxi Province – will reportedly soon begin its construction.
A two-kilometer test line is scheduled to be completed by June 2022, while another 15-kilometer test line will be built within two years.
The eventual plan calls for a "railway" line of 60-kilometres.
This comes as China continues to prioritise developing high-speed rail for the country, with the goal of making "three-hour transportation circles" between major cities a reality.
According to China's Ministry of Transport, China has the world's largest high-speed railway network as of 2020, with tracks covering 38,000 kilometres, and serving 95 percent of the cities with a population of more than one million.
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Top image via New China TV YouTube