China's 620 km/hr Maglev

[Allan]

I've seen their current Maglev that runs between Shanghai and Pudong Airport. It's pretty impressive and goes to about 400 km/hr I think. This new one ups the game by a couple of hundred km/hr.

(CNN) — China has revealed a prototype for a new high-speed Maglev train that is capable of reaching speeds of 620 kilometers (385 miles) per hour.
The train runs on high-temperature superconducting (HTS) power that makes it look as if the train is floating along the magnetized tracks.
The sleek 21-meter-long (69 feet) prototype was unveiled to media in the city of Chengdu, Sichuan Province, on January 13. In addition, university researchers constructed 165 meters (541 feet) of track to demonstrate how the train would look and feel in transit, according to state-run Xinhua News.

Link

This is the kind of technology the US needs to be leading in.

 

[Lord Tammerlain]

I've seen their current Maglev that runs between Shanghai and Pudong Airport. It's pretty impressive and goes to about 400 km/hr I think. This new one ups the game by a couple of hundred km/hr.



Link

This is the kind of technology the US needs to be leading in.

It should and could but won't.

As the US won't build them domestically, it will never gain the economies of scale required to be competitive. It will be between China and likely Japan to lead in this area.

 

[Peter]

The thing is while maglev is great and fast as hell there's a reason it's not been adopted by the UK or Japan for the new high speed rail routes.
It's vastly expensive and much more expensive to maintain than normal high speed rail. It's also nothing like any other trains on the system so again would need new people to keep the line running.
HS2 in the UK is a normal high speed rail system from London to Manchester and Leeds which will already cost over £80B and will be the largest infrastructure project in Europe.

High Speed 2 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[joko104]

They'll never build it. Just a publicity stunt. Did it go 385 miles per hour? No.

 

[Allan]

They'll never build it. Just a publicity stunt. Did it go 385 miles per hour? No.

China will build it. They have the cash and want to show off their toys.