Shanghai Mag Lev 431 km/h

[Graham]

Hi All,

Well another day in Shanghai, and I really wanted to travel on the Mag-Lev.
I am sure most of you know what a Mag-Lev train is all about, opposing magnets don't like each other, and repel.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_Maglev_Train
http://www.smtdc.com/en/gycf3.asp

When it arrives at the station is is silent, and then stops.
Then it lowers itself down by what looks like about 25mm, the air gap between the magnetic track, and teh train.
The train is silent, apart from some wind noise, the trail is almost vibration free.
When the train is stopping into the station, from on the train, you can feel the electro-magnetic pulsing.
The acceleration from 0 km/h to 100km/h is OK, nothing special.
The acceleration from 200km/h to 430 km/h is very good.
It just doesn't stop pulling until it hits 431 km/h, where it instantly stops acceleration and just holds the speed.

The banking into the curve is some thing you have to feel yourself, it must be a good 20 deg, or more.
When the other train passes in the opposite direction, I nearly Kakked myself.

Any way, here are some images.

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The "track"

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From stop

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To 430 km/h is 3 and half minutes

0 to 350km/h is just 2 minutes.


Gra.

 

[Chas]

See it in operation here, Faster Than Bugatti Veyron 431km/h Maglev Train in Shanghai ;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IT-mVT-ORww

 

[dyladams]

Was in transit through shanghai last week on the way back from Sydney. Took the train to the airport. As my mate said.... It's the best £5 he's spent in a long time.

What scared me was the section when you drive parallel to the motorway and cars appear to be standing still.

Used my phones gps to check the speed and was getting 432kmph.

Was not sure why there was not a rush to get on and go...... Very quickly found out why!!

 

[Crispin]

Why can't we (British) have something like that? Seem any decent project (HS2) is laboured with moaners, problems and watering down. Wife, junior and I caught the train to Edinburgh about a month ago. It was brilliant. Door to door, it was slower but only by about 45-60 mins. Top speed, a snail-paced 100-110mph on the GPS.

If you had a train that did London to Edinburgh in half the time (250Mph), there would be little argument in using it instead of flying from an airport nowhere near your home to an airport nowhere near where you want to be.

HS2 will apparently do 250Mph/400Km/h and be ready in 2026. We'll see what it's like on the day. I suspect not as great as the sales pitch. I'll also have to catch a taxi for the other half of the journey


Graham - nice pics and nice train but I'm worried about your camera. The pics from the F1 and now these seem to be creating strange artefacts on your clothes, your tops seems to be rather bright and odd.

 

[ram]

like everything it'll be too little too late,by the time they finish the project in 2026 it'll be well out of date.
And crispin,leave him alone,i think looking at his photos brings a bit colour to this forum

 

[Graham]

HS2 will apparently do 250Mph/400Km/h and be ready in 2026. We'll see what it's like on the day. I suspect not as great as the sales pitch.

Is that right, 2026, sure it's not 2016? typo maybe?

Perhaps similar to the CRH 500 (China Rail Highspeed)

http://www.carnewschina.com/2011/12/27/ ... ord-train/

These are all up and running now, (well, it looked from the front) I seen one in a station on our way back from Shanghai.

Perhaps we can send you a few Chinese over to assist a 2016 completion date?.

Gra.

 

[Crispin]

Graham, by 2016 we could not get the colour of the tracks finalised
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Speed_2

I was wrong though, the phase two has a planned completion date of 2032, phase one was 2026

 

[Olazz]

Graham, by 2016 we could not get the colour of the tracks finalised
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Speed_2

I was wrong though, the phase two has a planned completion date of 2032, phase one was 2026

Well thats because HS2 is a company formed by the government. Profligate, unprofitable and unaccountable, all paid for by you and me.

That will mean endless futile meetings that achieve nothing but keep people employed, double and treble billing for jobs that the union boys get hold of, then and worst of all, the dreaded, sanctimonious health and safety brigade will need to justify their own over inflated importance in society by "protecting" people from injuries; what a load of K*K

2032, don't make me laugh, more like 2050 before its all done and cost 4 x what it should have!

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

and cost 4 x what it should have!

I think you're being a bit optimistic there

 

[Trevor]

All it will take is just one group of chavvy t***s to put something on the line "for a laugh" and then the 250 mph line will revert to a train running behind a man with a red flag under elf and safety.