| Work Detail |
China today started work on a magnetic levitation (maglev) line as part of its plans to construct an ultra-fast rail network, Global Times reports.
The plan is to build a 50km line between the Changsha and Liuyang cities in Hunan Province, southeast China, the country’s first intercity maglev line.
According to a local government statement, the designed speed of the line is 160km/h.
It will connect to the 19km Changsha Maglev Express, which has been in operation for the past eight years linking Changsha’s Huanghua International Airport and its South Railway Station.
The first phase of the extended line will span 40km and involves a total investment of $1.5bn. The work will be carried out by state-owned civil engineer Sinohydro.
Eventually, China aims to develop a 600km/h maglev train that can travel faster than the cruising speed of a commercial airliner.
A trainset for this system is presently being developed by the China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation in the city of Qingdao.
This is part of a project that began in 2016. A prototype was unveiled in May 2019 and a successful test run was made in June the following year.
The train has been undergoing technological development, and is due to make its debut in the near future. |
