It’s been more than 10 years since the Shanghai Maglev Train was opened for public service in April 2004. With a top speed of 431km/g (268mph), the Shanghai Maglev is the fastest operating train in the world.
A magnetic levitation train, the Shanghai Maglev line is also the first commercially operated high-speed magnetic levitation line in the world. There are many “firsts” with the Maglev train, a line that was designed specifically to connect the Airport and the outskirts of Central Pudong, all while passengers could switch their trip with the Shanghai Metro.
The cost of the Maglev train is estimated at more than $1.2 billion, but with several companies like Siemens and ThyssenKrupp chipping in, China was able to execute the plan.
High speed trains will be essential for the future of China, as the country is trying to expand Beijing and make it “super city” with more than 130 million citizens.
In the future years, the Chinese government will build several more high speed trains, but the Maglev line will probably remain the fastest one.
The documentary about Maglev high speed train takes you through the journey of the construction, but also tells you the stories of the passengers using the train on a daily basis. The engineers had to defy some basic laws of logic, and get rid of several key components to make it work. But they did it, and now the futuristic train transports thousands of passengers on a daily basis.
