In my last post I had traveled to Shanghai by train from
Guangzhou. I have also flown to Shanghai directly from San Francisco. I wanted
to tell you about something special. The airport is outside the city and about
a 45 min drive. Another option is to take the Maglev.
What is a Maglev you ask? Well it’s a train without
traditional tracks. A Maglev floats and is propelled by a magnetic field. Because
there are no wheels and traditional tracks the ride is very smooth. There are only
a few in the world and one is in Shanghai. The only other one I know of is in
Japan but goes nowhere near as fast as this.
The train was
built by a joint venture of Siemens and ThyssenKrupp in Kassel. The track (guideway) was built by local Chinese companies. The Maglev set
a Chinese speed record at 311 mph. The operating speed is 268 mph.
When I rode the
Maglev, the 45 min taxi ride was cut to a little over 7 min. The Maglev gets to
its top speed about halfway to Shanghai and then immediately starts slowing
down gradually.
Due to the cost I
don’t see many more of these being built. So, if you fly into Shanghai make
sure to take the Maglev into the city. It will be an experience of a lifetime
and one that you will not get anywhere else in the world.
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