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China’s New Bullet Train is Faster than a Supercar
China has always been at the forefront of technological innovation when it comes to trains, and the country recently unveiled a prototype for a high-speed magnetic-levitation bullet train that runs at a speed of 600km per hour.
Called the maglev – short for ‘magnetic levitation’, the train has been developed by the state-owned China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) with the actual model scheduled to hit tracks by 2021.
The system has been built using magnetic forces that help it achieve such high speeds and uses two sets of magnets – one that allows lifting the train off the track and the other to propel it forward.
Thanks to the frictionless, ‘floating’ technology, the maglev can achieve high speeds of up to 600km per hour without losing its balance or acceleration.
The train is also said to be faster for passengers than jet travel over certain distances, if you take into account the additional time required for security checks at airports.
Currently only South Korea and Japan run their own maglev trains, with China set to be the third in a couple of years’ time.
The prototype is in the process of going through extensive tests before it can be deemed fit for deployment in 2021.
China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) is also working on an experimental centre and a high-speed maglev trial production centre, both of which are expected to become operational by the end of 2019.