Maglev

Maglev (derived from <a href="/facts/Magnetic_levitation/0QHxYmB2">magnetic levitation</a>) is a system of <a href="/facts/Rail_transport/9nJQbsDV">rail transport</a> whose <a href="/facts/Rolling_stock/xe66VHGf">rolling stock</a> is levitated by <a href="/facts/Electromagnet/3YMYtSMX">electromagnets</a> rather than rolled on wheels, eliminating <a href="/facts/Rolling_resistance/nrvwxcHy">rolling resistance</a>.
Compared to conventional railways, maglev trains have higher top speeds, superior acceleration and deceleration, lower maintenance costs, improved <a href="/facts/Grade_(slope)/SlyxwANp">gradient</a> handling, and lower noise. However, they are more expensive to build, cannot use existing infrastructure, and use more energy at high speeds.
Maglev trains have set <a href="/facts/Railway_speed_record/BwusYhR7">several speed records</a>. The train speed record of 603 km/h (375 mph) was set by the experimental Japanese <a href="/facts/L0_Series/fAbR8DfV">L0 Series</a> maglev in 2015. From 2002 until 2021, the record for the highest operational speed of a passenger train of 431 kilometres per hour (268 mph) was held by the <a href="/facts/Shanghai_maglev_train/lRyQe4c7">Shanghai maglev train</a>, which uses German <a href="/facts/Transrapid/D3ywq6BY">Transrapid</a> technology. The service connects <a href="/facts/Shanghai_Pudong_International_Airport/7CjDGUCU">Shanghai Pudong International Airport</a> and the outskirts of central <a href="/facts/Pudong/xaWv2KeU">Pudong</a>, <a href="/facts/Shanghai/nYyuBo2S">Shanghai</a>. At its historical top speed, it covered the distance of 30.5 kilometres (19 mi) in just over 8 minutes.
Different maglev systems achieve levitation in different ways, which broadly fall into two categories: <a href="/facts/Electromagnetic_suspension/NLYnEbqV">electromagnetic suspension (EMS)</a> and <a href="/facts/Electrodynamic_suspension/5GJnQVgV">electrodynamic suspension (EDS)</a>. Propulsion is typically provided by a <a href="/facts/Linear_motor/cLBAMYtq">linear motor</a>. The power needed for levitation is typically not a large percentage of the overall energy consumption of a high-speed maglev system. Instead, overcoming <a href="/facts/Drag_(physics)/vdl4jF7I">drag</a> takes the most energy. <a href="/facts/Vactrain/z0EFBkm1">Vactrain</a> technology has been proposed as a means to overcome this limitation.
Despite over a century of research and development, there are only seven operational maglev trains today — four in China, two in South Korea, and one in Japan.
The first intercity maglev line is being built in China and will connect <a href="/facts/Changsha/35jaRSAN">Changsha</a> and <a href="/facts/Liuyang/TnBPfaAN">Liuyang</a> cities in Hunan Province.

Maglev open-in-new

Maglev