Fastest Train In The World

The fastest train in the world: The Shanghai Maglev

Japan had the world's fastest train, whose speed was 590 km/hr that works on maglev technology but they are not using it for commercial purposes. Recently China took this title from Japan and successfully passed the first trail of Shanghai Maglev on test line at Tongji University in Shanghai on Sunday 21st June 2020. Technicians completed more than 200 test items of the prototype, including vital capabilities such as the suspension orientation, speed positioning, and ground traction, the University said. This train is a commercial train. So China has the world's first commercial Maglev system. Currently, China is using bullet trains. They operate with a speed of 350 km/hr.

The Shanghai Maglev can travel with a speed of 600 km/hr. It can travel from Delhi to Mumbai in just 2.5 hours. This Shanghai Maglev is the development in Maglev trains that use a magnetic field to lift the train above the track. So this doesn't need wheels and eliminates incidents of friction and moves faster and quieter than other locomotives. If this project worked according to the plan the train will move four times faster than a commercial flight.

Right now the speed of maglev trains is limited up to 400 km/hr because it's air resistance is excessive but the design of the vacuum tube could make them travel seven times faster. Other countries are also experimenting with Maglev technology. Japan broke its own record hitting 603 km/hr during the test run of an SC maglev train. Japan is working also on a new maglev line between Tokyo and Nagoya which can be open in 2027.

By: Aditya Raj Awasthi
School: Pinnacle National School
Class: 6th