China Begins Construction of Test Line for 'Bullet-Speed' Maglev Train

"Target Speed of 1000km/h"

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Construction has begun on a test line in China aiming to operate a maglev train exceeding 1000 km/h through a vacuum tube.

According to local media on the 27th, a plaque ceremony for the "Shaanxi Province Key Project High-Speed Train Laboratory" and a groundbreaking ceremony for the test line were recently held in Shaanxi Province.

Ma Tiehua, Dean of the School of Electrical Control Engineering at Zhongbei University, which established the laboratory together with the Third Research Institute of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, explained, "Using superconducting maglev technology, friction resistance is eliminated by levitating without contact with the ground."

He added, "By using a near-vacuum pipe route, air resistance is greatly reduced, enabling 'ground-proximate flight' at speeds exceeding 1000 km/h," and stated, "It can reach a speed of 300 meters per second in one second, which is comparable to the speed of a traditional bullet."

He said, "It is much faster than the current high-speed trains running at 350 km/h," and expressed expectations that "future trains will exceed 1000 km/h and, over time, reach speeds of 3000 to 4000 km/h."

Related research is underway not only in China but also in the United States, Japan, and other countries. Virgin Hyperloop, the company of British billionaire Richard Branson, announced in November last year that it conducted a test run of its ultra-high-speed maglev train Hyperloop with a person onboard for the first time, reaching a top speed of 172 km/h.

However, there are also cautious views. The state-run media Global Times reported, "Some believe this technology may be used for experimental purposes, but the possibility of it becoming a commercial construction project is low."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.