The Shanghai Maglev train is the only one in commercial operation in the world. It links the airport to a subway station. A 40 minute trip done in 8 minutes! As you will see in the video, the train accelerates to 431 km/hr just in time to decelerate back to zero.
The train runs every twenty minutes. Unfortunately, the maglev train is afraid of the dark. No official reason has been given. However, one can assume it has something to do with the lower visibility. The train now runs in the early evening, but a reduce 375 km/hr, just to be safe.
Sure this line costs billions of dollars, but it is German engineering, you get what you pay for! Besides, with all those Chinese products we are buying, the government has to spend its money somehow. More importantly, as there is no friction between the train and the track, the maintenance costs should be much lower than for the TGV. So the train should pay for itself...
This train almost makes you wish you lived in a communist dictatorship. Hey Castro, where's your maglev train?
Something to consider while you wait for the 7m36s video to download. The trip takes 8 minutes, there is a train every 20 minutes... yet the track is double (one track in each direction)! You have to assume this initial section will be part of a bigger network (assuming the government doesn't get overthrown first). Still, you have to wonder about the logic.
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