China unveils 600 kph (372 mph) superfast maglev train

[Klaralven]

DALIAN, China -- China unveiled on Tuesday a homegrown magnetic levitation train capable of reaching 600 kph, the fastest train ever built by the country.

"Chinese high-speed maglev trains can become a viable industry," Sun Yongcai, chairman of CRRC, the state-owned developer of the train, said in a statement.

The new train's spped approaches the 603 kph world record set by a Japanese maglev built by Central Japan Railway, ushering in an intense competition for technical supremacy in the high-speed train market.

The development of China's maglev, which comes in sets of five cars, began in 2016, with a successful trial run in June 2020. CRRC, the world's biggest manufacturer of train cars, had been fine-tuning the maglev before Tuesday's unveiling.

CRRC touts the maglev's lightness and durability as its strengths. The train can make the trip from Beijing to Shanghai in three and a half hours, including wait times, according to a 2019 estimate. That cuts about two hours from the time needed for a conventional bullet train to travel the same distance.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Transportation/China-unveils-600-kph-superfast-maglev-train

Beijing to Shanghai is about 665 miles distance, the same as Chicago to Philadelphia or Atlanta to Philadelphia.

[EYESORE 9001]

1. Don't jump the track

[Willis88]

3. Honestly, private auto deaths and injuries are a much more of a concern

From Google: “More than 38,000 people die every year in crashes on U.S. roadways. The U.S. traffic fatality rate is 12.4 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. An additional 4.4 million are injured seriously enough to require medical attention. Road crashes are the leading cause of death in the U.S. for people aged 1-54.”

Train derailments make news but so much more harm done on an average day from private automobiles and inattentive drivers.

[EYESORE 9001]

5. All true

but the thought of derailing at that speed…

[brush]

8. Or a plane crash at speed. All transportation has risks.

We can be afraid of progress as we're getting so far behind the rest of the world because the republicans keep obstructing infrastructure bills so Biden won't be successful.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

11. Maglev trains don't run on tracks in the sense that we are used to.

I'm not sure how fast one can travel on wheels and tracks.

Gee, if only there were a way I could look that up ...

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+fast+can+trains+travel+on+wheels+and+tracks

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-speed_rail#Technologies

{snip}

Future developments

After decades of research and successful testing on a 43 km test track, JR Central {in Japan} is now constructing a Maglev Shinkansen line, which is known as the Chūō Shinkansen. These Maglev trains still have the traditional underlying tracks and the cars have wheels. This serves a practical purpose at stations and a safety purpose out on the lines in the event of a power failure. However, in normal operation, the wheels are raised up into the car as the train reaches certain speeds where the magnetic levitation effect takes over. It will link Tokyo and Osaka by 2037, with the section from Tokyo to Nagoya expected to be operational by 2027. Average speed is anticipated at 505 km/h. The first generation train can be ridden by tourists visiting the test track.

{snip}

Chinese CRH and CR

Main article: High-speed rail in China

{snip}

In 2008, high-speed trains began running at a top speed of 350 km/h (220 mph) on the Beijing–Tianjin intercity railway, which opened during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. The following year, trains on the newly opened Wuhan–Guangzhou high-speed railway set a world record for average speed over an entire trip, at 312.5 km/h (194.2 mph) over 968 kilometres (601 miles).

{snip}

Something like 220 mph looks as if it's the current upper limit for day-in and day-out operations with wheels and tracks. Above that, maglev seems to be preferred.

[Willis88]

2. The US really needs to step up it's game in terms of HSR, especially NE corridor

Don’t need 372 mph, but even 200 mph would be awesome!

[TreasonousBastard]

4. It would be, but Amtrak has to get out of the way of freight trains too often...

right of way for railroads is tricky. New track would help, but where?

[Klaralven]

7. It's impossible because the right-of-way is not straight enough for 200 mph.

New right-of-way would be needed to eliminate tight curves, and that is impossible within the US legal and regulatory system.

[Willis88]

14. Tunnels

If they can build a tunnel from Alberta to Texas for dirty oil from shale fracking, then they can do the same for high speed rail.

[Klaralven]

19. A 36 inch diameter tunnel isn't really big enough for a train

A new right of way in the east coast would run into the same issues that Keystone II did. I'm sure there are many Native American sacred sites on any proposed right-of-way. That held up the implementation of positive train control.

Along the wayside antenna structures usually require FCC approval. Regulatory approvals have slowed due in part to some antenna sites containing Native American burial grounds.

https://www.burns-group.com/blog/2016/06/positive-train-control-why-its-taking-so-long-to-get-rail-safety-on-track/

[Goonch]

6. ;-{)

[hunter]

9. Personally I'd prefer a slow world...

... where nothing other than emergency vehicles, birds, and the occasional muscle powered mammal, travels faster than 50 kilometres per hour.

[Polybius]

12. So you are against passenger planes and want cars to go 30mph at best?

I'd really have to leave for work a lot earlier.

[hunter]

13. Oh, hell yes.

And it's very likely your work is not making the world a better place.

If it is maybe you should move closer.

[Polybius]

26. Actually it is

It's a 20 minute drive from me doing 60mph.

[Willis88]

16. You can't be serious - do you not use planes or trains?

I’m with you on living close to work, however. Just under a mile away and never any traffic unless it pours and I take a ride share.

[hunter]

21. Not if I can help it.

When my wife and I met we were urban commuters. As I recall freeway speeds were averaging 15-30 mph. I've suffered far too many hour-long commutes in stop-and-go traffic.

My wife and I have mostly avoided that lifestyle since then.

I hate 400 mph flying for any reason but I sometimes have to do it.

In my personal utopia annual vacations last two months, with year long vacations once every decade.

That gives a person plenty of time to see the world at fifty kilometres per hour.

You could do it all on a bicycle, a slow train, and a sailboat.

[Dial H For Hero]

20. My new (to me) car, purchased it a week ago and drove it home over the course of 3 days:

[AllaN01Bear]

10. when ever are we as a country going to do this? we seemed to have lost our will.

i may be looking in the wrong places ,, but that is what it seems to me .

[Grins]

15. Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress are blocking the infrastructure bill...

And “This is why we can’t have nice things”, part 10,000.

[Willis88]

17. +1

[lindysalsagal]

18. Gotta be fun lookin' out the winder!

Wuuuushhhhh!

[ProfessorGAC]

22. A Nit To Pick

Chicago to Philly is around 770 miles.
That's not really the same as 665 miles.
Atlanta is a bit more distance to Philly. Atlanta to DC would have been a better comparison.

[Klaralven]

23. I used the "measure distance" tool in Google maps for all 3 city pairs

You right click on a point, select measure distance from the drop down, and then left click or the other point

It appears to give the great circle distance between the two points. The route miles actual railways or highways would be longer.

[ProfessorGAC]

24. I Did Similarly

But, I used road distance. I got 2 answers Chi to Philly; 758 & 765 miles.
And, one could take I-80 probably 2/3rds of the way.
I kind of knew it was more than 660 miles, already. We drove it in the 70s (straight thru, 3 drivers) to go to a Bowie concert. Took around 12.5 hours, with a couple bathroom breaks.
We had tickets to the Chicago show, too. I forget the order but one was near the start of the tour, and the other near the end. We figured we'd hear max difference.
So, off to Philly we went.

[WarGamer]

25. I worry about terrorism on the rail.

Hell a 2x4 laid on the rail could cause a catastrophe at 300+mph.

[TheProle]

27. All the faster

To ship Ugyhurs off to reeducation (pronounced “forced labor”) camps.