China: Shanghai – Maglev Train
And the last and final Chinese post – the Maglev train on the way to Pudong Airport. Maglev stands for Magnetic Levitation and it is the only such train in the world that is operated commercially. The sleek train connects the international airport with some obscure subway station in the middle of nowhere on the outskirts of the city. The entire Maglev length is only 30km. The frictionless trains usually run at around 300km/hr, but at certain times of the day – they go their maximum to 431km/hr. The ride is a cool experience when everything flies by you in the window and you make the whole trip in just about 6-8 minutes. The Maglev train however is completely unprofitable and losing over a billion yuan per year as other transport alternatives are connecting the airport with the city.
