Should make for some interesting reading...... German, Chinese leaders inaugurate joint 'maglev' train project in Shanghai Tue Dec 31, 3:21 AM ET By MARTIN FACKLER, Associated Press Writer SHANGHAI, China - Germany's leader and the Chinese premier took an inaugural ride Tuesday on the world's first commercial magnetically levitated high-speed train service — a gleaming US$1.2 billion addition to China's most populous city. AP Photo Slideshow: China Debuts 'Maglev' Train Shanghai hopes the futuristic German-built "maglev" railroad will burnish its image as a global business and technology center. Germany hopes the train will herald more lucrative infrastructure contracts for it across China. The train has reportedly reached speeds of 400 kph (250 mph) along a 31-kilometer-long (19-mile-long) track linking Shanghai's new financial district and airport. It travels faster than conventional trains because it floats on air — held a few millimeters (fractions on an inch) above its rails by powerful opposing magnets. Premier Zhu Rongji and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder boarded the sleek, three-car train in Shanghai's Pudong district and shot out of a tubular station for a 14-minute journey to and from the 3-year-old Pudong International Airport. In a taxi, the round trip takes an hour. A marching band played as 300 people — including Chinese construction workers, German engineers and Shanghai Mayor Chen Liangyu — looked on. After the ride, Schroeder expressed incredulity at the line's completion just three years after Shanghai officials first showed interest in the German-designed train. "Who could have thought this project could have been realized with such speed and fine quality?" the German leader said, shortly before leaving China. "Only a few cities in the world can accomplish this speed." Premier Zhu Rongji called it a "miracle." "The new maglev line is a beneficial exploration in the development of rail transport," Zhu said. "It will not only help accelerate Shanghai's drive of turning itself into a modern metropolis, but serve as an impetus to the growth of the related technologies in China." Three trains were delivered from Germany in August, and engineers from both countries have been rushing to finish the project for the New Year's Eve run. German firms have spent decades and billions of dollars developing maglev and want to use the Shanghai train as a model to show prospective buyers. Other potential customers have been put off by maglev's high price and daunting technical challenges. Critics say the project will never pay for itself, in part because customers will balk at its reported one-way ticket price of about 50 yuan (US$6). Chinese planners will also be watching the train's success or failure in considering whether to use the new technology in larger projects, such as a planned high-speed rail link between Shanghai and Beijing.
A fascinating story. I recently saw a programme on TV about Shanghai, and it is indeed an exciting city with lots of new development. I expect the maglev trains to be a boon, whether they pay for themselves or not. After all the years of debate about maglev, it is at least good to see one in commercial service. The ticket price seem ok to me, to save battling through the traffic! But maybe it is high by Chinese standards.
Airport only express trains can be expensive, the Heathrow Express over here was £15 last time I looked, much more expensive than the the much slower Piccadilly line!
I saw the Mag Lev on the news. It's scary to think of traveling that fast, at least on the ground. But what the heck? I'd try it ONCE!
What's really scary to me is that China is making advances in transportation and we have been arguing about what to do about Amtrak! Russ
A lot of the bickering has been over money. Maglev isn't cheap- according to a newspaper account, Germany practically gave a lot of the technology to the Chinese (as opposed to our giving rocket technology one way or another to them). Also, the cost of expanding maglev has the Chinese also looking at high-speed rail (much like the Japanese Shinkansen, or "bullet" trains) technology to connect their major cities. The Amtrak debate is a whole 'nother topic, but suffice it to say we seem to be stuck with the same ol' same ol', plus getting money to expand mass transit in a country so much in love with individual transport (read: the automobile) Time will tell whether or not this airport line becomes an orphan, or the beginning of a maglev network in China. [ 04. January 2003, 20:29: Message edited by: friscobob ]
