China's Speediest Train, a 600 km/h Maglev, Rolls off Assembly Line in Qingdao

China has developed the world's speediest maglev transportation system, capable of reaching a top speed of 600 kilometres per hour; the first train rolled off the assembly line on Tuesday in Qingdao, a city in East China's Shandong Province, after five years of research and development.

The high-speed maglev is currently the fastest ground vehicle intended for regular transit. It is the fastest method of surface transportation, within a range of 1,500 kilometres. What is currently a 10-hour high-speed train trip from South China's Shenzhen to Shanghai will take only 2.5 hours once a maglev line is built.

CRRC SRI provides the braking system, coupler, anti-vibration system, electricity system, passenger information system (PIS) and other core components of the 600 km/h maglev.

The CRRC technicians spent 19 months developing the magnetic poles for the whirlpool brake on the maglev train, which can be reused in an -25C to 170C environment and can withstand vibration.

The power supply system is one of the key systems of the high-speed maglev, which plays an important role in the safe operation of the train. When the speed exceeds 100 km/h, a non-contact power supply is adopted. The high-speed maglev train receiver system developed by CRRC SRI features a high degree of environmental adaptability and can work smoothly within a temperature range of -25C to 45C, Chinese experts said.

To guarantee smooth telecommunication during a high-speed run, 5G is reserved for the Wi-Fi system on the maglev, and maglev passengers will be able to charge their mobile phones wirelessly.

The article was originally published on Global Times website.