Do you want to go fast? Really, really fast? We have just the ride for you.
Using magnetic levitation technology, i.e. employing strong electromagnets which lift and propel the train forward on a cushion of air, with no friction between the wheels and the rails, means a much faster journey. Even faster than air travel.
We Forum report that these forced of nature are not only faster, but vibrates less and are silent as a tomb.
Currently, China has the world's fastest maglev train already in use, moving at around 430 km/h; however, the new maglev model hopes to top that at around 600 km/h.
READ: Should SA invest in a hyperloop between Cape Town and Joburg?
(China's first high-speed maglev train testing prototype is seen on May 23, 2019 in Qingdao, Shandong Province of China. China rolled off the production line of a prototype maglev train with a maximum speed of 600 kilometres per hour on Thursday in Qingdao. Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)
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A competitive alternative for air travel?
Might just be. Though this new maglev train is still in its testing phase, it promises to decrease your travel journey by about an hour. In China, this means travel time between Beijing to Shanghai will be reduced from 4 and a half hours by air to three and a half with a maglev train. Big difference. That's also factoring in the times travelling to and from an airport and time spent at the airport before boarding.
Imagine the possibility of a train like that in South Africa. Cape Town to Jo'burg in one hour?! A chilled morning commute.
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