Shanghai Trans-rapid By: Brandon Camino

What is the Shanghai Trans-rapid?  The world’s first maglev (magnetic levitation) train  The fastest train on earth  Top Speed of 431 kmh (268 mph)

How it Works  Coil’s magnet in guideway repels magnets under train  levitates to.39 inches to 3.93 inches  Electric power supplied to coil creates polarity changes  Magnetic fields push train in back, pull from front  works.com/transport/e nginesequipment/magl ev-train.htm works.com/transport/e nginesequipment/magl ev-train.htm

Why so fast?  The maglev floats so no friction between wheels and rail to slow it down

Characteristics  Pudong international airport to Shanghai (20 miles) in 7.2 minutes  99.85% service accuracy rate  Cost $1.2 billion to construct  $6 to ride as a passenger

Speed Records of Regular and Maglev Trains NamePlaceTypeSpeed Shanghai Maglev Pudong airport Commercial431 km/hr AVG (Alstom)France/ItalyCommercial360 km/hr TVG (Alstom)FranceCommercial320 km/hr AVECommercial300 km/hr Shinkansen Maglev SpainTest-run581 km/hr TVG (Alstom)JapanTest-run575 km/hr ICEGermanyTest-run407 km/hr

Advantages  Speed  Little to no maintenance  No possibility of a part wearing out  Unaffected by weather  No noise, only from air resistance 

Advantages continued…  Uses less land  Reduces collisions and accidents  Uses less energy  No traffic  Does not pollute

Disadvantages  New infrastructure must be built  Cost of heavy and strong enough magnets  Does not yet connect to inner city

Why I’m Interested  I’m going to China this winter  I have never ridden a “bullet train”  I want to see if you really do feel like you’re floating  I want to study the economics of it and decide for myself if I think it is a viable option for CA

Why You Should be Interested  Once again, it is the fastest train in the world  This was a big step in revolutionizing public transportation systems  You could be riding it in this country within the next couple of decades

The Future  Even faster maglevs are already being built  Can be as fast as a Boeing 777  Paris to Rome in 2 hours  These can/will be all over  Replace airplanes as the preferred way to travel

References  Blodget, Henry. "Riding Shanghai's Maglev, the World's Fastest Train." Slate Magazine.\ N.p., 21 Mar Web..

References continued…  Bonsor, Kevin. "How Maglev Trains Work." HowStuffWorks. N.p., 6 Mar Web..  "Information." Maglev Trains & Technology. N.p., Web..

References continued…  Landovskis, Alex, and Véronique Rondeau. "Maglev Trains: Advantages & Disadvantages. "Magnetic Levitation Trains. N.p., n.d. Web..