China completes test of new generation of commercial maglev train

Changsha, China (Urban Transport News): Chinese Rolling Stock manufacturer CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Co., Ltd. has completed tests for its next generation of commercial maglev train. "The train, with a designed speed of 200 km per hour, has achieved multiple tech breakthroughs such as unmanned driving and non-contact power supply," said Zhang Wenyue, deputy head of CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive's maglev research institute on March 10, 2022.

They will deploy such commercial maglev trains for intercity and urban lines. "It is expected to be applied to intercity and urban lines of 50 km to 200 km," he added.

The new generation maglev train is equipped with autonomous driving and 5G millimeter-wave communication and it is operated by a ground control system. Real-time data are gathered for troubleshooting to ensure safety of passengers and train as well.

The new model shows significantly improved traction efficiency, hill-climbing ability, and acceleration performance, as compared with the previous generations of commercial maglev trains.

The maglev train is considerd as the World's fastest mode of high-speed transportation within the 1,500 km range in terms of actual travel time. A journey from Beijing to Shanghai takes about 2 hours by air, 5.5 hours by high-speed rail, and will only be about 2.5 hours by high-speed maglev train, taking journey preparation time into consideration.

Earlier in July 2021, China had revealed a prototype for a new high-speed Maglev train that is capable of reaching speeds of 620 kilometers per hour.