The People's Daily proudly announced, "the maglev [magnetic levitation] train made its maiden trip Sept. 20 [2003] in Shanghai. It took eight minutes to complete the 30 kilometers one-way journey - from Longyang Road to Pudong International Airport, making it the world's fastest commercial maglev train for sightseeing use." The journey takes up to an hour by car.
Shanghai Maglev Experience
"Within seconds of departure, we were floating on a 1cm cushion of air at 100kmh and the carriages began to lean from side to side," wrote the Guardian.
"After four minutes, we hit a peak speed of 431kmh (267mph) - more than twice as fast as a GNER inter-city 125. The speed flickered between 430-431kmh for about 30 seconds before gradually declining near the end of the seven-minute, 20-second journey."
From Marxism to market economy to Maglev, the imported ideas or technology must have been infected with "Chinese characteristics". The Guardian might have confirmed this theory. "Before arriving, I glimpsed inside the driver's cab where a bored-looking woman gazed at an electronic screen with her arms folded. The train's German designers said she was there on the insistence of the Chinese authorities; the technology drives itself, guided by electrically controlled magnetic fields."
"Inside the car, you expect to see seat belts and shoulder harnesses (for all the good they would do in a derailment or collision at one-third the speed of sound), but, instead, find only normal seats," said the Slate, "the doors shut, and the train accelerates like a skyscraper elevator, silently, smoothly, and rapidly……"
Novel Idea, But
The Shanghai Maglev cost more than a billion (USD).
"Critics question the durability of the technology - one of the two tracks has been shut for long periods while engineers adjust troublesome cables carrying the electrical charge which sparks the train's magnetism," the Guardian reported. "Furthermore, the entire system is sinking into the Pudong, Shanghai's marshy outpost of land used as an economic boom zone. Special leeway has had to be built in to allow for sinkage of up to 5cm."
A prominent figure in Shanghai's business community told the Guardian, "It cost an awful lot of money to put in and it's expensive to maintain. Most of the local Chinese people can't afford to ride on it."
From a traveller's perspective, the most discouraging problem may be that "at present, the Shanghai Maglev terminates on the outskirts of the city. It only operates between 9am and 5pm - even though many international flights arrive in the early morning."
"For gawkers and other one-time users, the maglev is the equivalent of an adult theme-park ride: cheap, thrilling, and fodder for cocktail parties. For those who just want to get to or from the airport, however, it leaves much to be desired," wrote the Slate.
According to the Slate, the maglev train "is running at less than half of capacity". "[The maglev train is] probably hemorrhaging money. The maglev cost $1.2 billion or more to build, which means the system chews through north of $60 million a year in capital costs alone. Assuming 12,000 passengers per day (my estimate), the maglev generates about $27 million of revenue per year, or less than half its capital costs, much less its total costs. It is not clear who is absorbing these losses, China or Transrapid, but, either way, someone's taking a bath."
The long-term benefits are many, say its advocates. Yes. And John Maynard Keynes reminded us, "In the long run, we are all dead."
Shanghai Travel-related Links:
Shanghai Tourist Office
Shanghai Pudong Airport (See the website of Shanghai Airport Authority)
Shanghai Metro
Shanghai Government-related Link:
Shanghai Government
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