China is banking on magnetic levitation trains

China plans to launch several “Maglev” lines by 2035, these magnetic levitation trains which use magnetic forces and magnets to move forward. This will revolutionize rail transport in this immense country.

Today, China already has a very dense high-speed rail network, which connects all major cities. The system works exemplary, and the trains arrive on time, almost to the second. But even with a high-speed train, which travels at 350 km/h, some journeys remain very long. Beijing-Canton, for example, takes seven and a half hours by train to cover more than 2,000 kilometers. Often, the Chinese prefer to take the plane.

Under these conditions, China decided to develop even faster trains, using magnetic levitation. Thanks to a system of magnets, the wagons are held above the rails. The absence of friction allows access to much higher speeds. In its 2023-2035 transport plan, the municipality of Canton announces that it has planned several Maglev lines between Canton and Beijing: 3h30 journey compared to 7h30 today.

Another line should connect Canton to Shanghai in just three hours, compared to seven currently by conventional TGV. And extensions of these lines are also planned to Macau and Shenzhen, the Chinese capital of new technologies. Chinese authorities announce that these trains will travel at a speed of at least 600 km/h.

Other countries, such as Japan, have mastered this Maglev technology, but China clearly has a head start. Several lines are already in service on short routes, for example at Shanghai Pudong Airport. But this is the first time that the Chinese have embarked on much longer journeys, up to 2,000 kilometers.

And China wants to go even further. Last year, during a test carried out in a tunnel, a train reached 1,000 km/h over a 2 kilometer section. Rail as fast as flying, but with one unknown factor: the cost of Maglev trains is very high, even exorbitant. China has not yet communicated the amount that will have to be spent to build the new lines announced by the city of Canton.