Speed indicator at every car of the train
With my group on the train
At the platform before boarding
Synergy at work - The Shanghai Knights Team
The gate to the underground platform
Marvelling at the train
The scene from the train
Recording the record ride
Just can't wait to be on the Maglev
With our guide
A signboard at the station
A VIP cabin compartment
Longyang Station
Maglev train coming out from Pudong Airport
MAGLEV TRAIN REDEFINES TRAVELLING
It is sleek, fast, has a hyper speed and moves silently through the tunnel and past the scenery outside its windows. It whooshes to 300km per hour in two minutes flat, is pollution-free and has no exhaust fumes. How's that for speed faster than almost any mode of any speeding locomotive around the region here or the world and for green technology? I saw a documentary once on this Shanghai Maglev Train and my throat almost immediately went dry when the red LED screen inside the train indicated its record-breaking speed of 431kph.
I also learnt that at full speed, a journey on the train could take just 7 minutes and 20 seconds to complete a distance of 30 km, although some trains in the early morning and late afternoon might take about 50 seconds longer. I was blown away by the 3-digit number I saw on the red light LED screen shown during the documentary. In a split-second, I made a mental connection of my new-found discovery to a geography topic I had taught about the shrinking world and how modern technology had brought benefits to the world of travelling.
This magnificent Maglev machine which man has created has no wings, wheels or engine either. It was developed by Transrapid, a German firm. The company describes the Maglev as "the first fundamental innovation in the field of railway technology since the invention of the railway." Shanghai was chosen as the site for this super fast train construction site after studies made found that Beijing and Shenzhen were not so suitable for its running and operation.
Works began in 2001 and within two and a half years the levitation line was completed to join Pudong Airport to the outskirts in Shanghai. The line is 30.5 km long, has two stations and has a further separate track leading to a maintenance facility.
So what propels and pushes this train to such a speed? Magnets is the answer. First, powerful magnets lift the entire train about 10 millimeters above the special track, called a guideway, since it mainly directs the passage of the train. Other magnets provide propulsion, and braking, and the speeds - up to 500 kph in test runs; a good 60 percent faster than the renowned Bullet Trains - are attained largely due to the reduction of friction. Some Physics here! And for Maths and Economics - the cost to build this rail infrastructure was a whopping $US 1.2 billion. And talking about 'Innovative in Our Ways,' the Germans patented the basic system of this train way before World War II.
I was just as excited as the young Shanghai Knights for their maiden ride on the train. I felt the rush of being transported to the world of futuristic fervour mixed with the feeling of being carried away by Marvel comic-hero Superman whom I idolised during my childhood days.
It is sleek, fast, has a hyper speed and moves silently through the tunnel and past the scenery outside its windows. It whooshes to 300km per hour in two minutes flat, is pollution-free and has no exhaust fumes. How's that for speed faster than almost any mode of any speeding locomotive around the region here or the world and for green technology? I saw a documentary once on this Shanghai Maglev Train and my throat almost immediately went dry when the red LED screen inside the train indicated its record-breaking speed of 431kph.
I also learnt that at full speed, a journey on the train could take just 7 minutes and 20 seconds to complete a distance of 30 km, although some trains in the early morning and late afternoon might take about 50 seconds longer. I was blown away by the 3-digit number I saw on the red light LED screen shown during the documentary. In a split-second, I made a mental connection of my new-found discovery to a geography topic I had taught about the shrinking world and how modern technology had brought benefits to the world of travelling.
This magnificent Maglev machine which man has created has no wings, wheels or engine either. It was developed by Transrapid, a German firm. The company describes the Maglev as "the first fundamental innovation in the field of railway technology since the invention of the railway." Shanghai was chosen as the site for this super fast train construction site after studies made found that Beijing and Shenzhen were not so suitable for its running and operation.
Works began in 2001 and within two and a half years the levitation line was completed to join Pudong Airport to the outskirts in Shanghai. The line is 30.5 km long, has two stations and has a further separate track leading to a maintenance facility.
So what propels and pushes this train to such a speed? Magnets is the answer. First, powerful magnets lift the entire train about 10 millimeters above the special track, called a guideway, since it mainly directs the passage of the train. Other magnets provide propulsion, and braking, and the speeds - up to 500 kph in test runs; a good 60 percent faster than the renowned Bullet Trains - are attained largely due to the reduction of friction. Some Physics here! And for Maths and Economics - the cost to build this rail infrastructure was a whopping $US 1.2 billion. And talking about 'Innovative in Our Ways,' the Germans patented the basic system of this train way before World War II.
I was just as excited as the young Shanghai Knights for their maiden ride on the train. I felt the rush of being transported to the world of futuristic fervour mixed with the feeling of being carried away by Marvel comic-hero Superman whom I idolised during my childhood days.
But wait...China has just built another superfast trainline from Beijing to Shanghai. It hopes to connect the two cities in just five hours. The train capable of speeding at 486km/h would be in operation in June 2011.
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