Zhu, Schroeder Attend Maglev Line Operation Ceremony

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, December 31, 2002

Zhu, Schroeder Attend Maglev Line Operation Ceremony

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Zhu, Schroeder Attend Maglev Line Operation Ceremony

Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji and his German counterpart, visiting Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, attended a ceremony Tuesday morning in shanghai and cut the ribbon for the trial operation of Shanghai Transrapid Maglev Line.

Prior to the ceremony, Premier Zhu and Chancellor Schroeder made the train trip along the 30-km-long maglev line to the terminal, Pudong International Airport, and visited the platform there, and then returned by the same train to the Longyang Road Station, where they inspected the control center and inquired about matters relating to the line's construction and operation.

During the operation, the train spent eight minutes for the whole of a single trip with a mileage of 30 kilometers, and the maximum speed reached the designed 430 km per hour, according to a source with the public transport company in charge of the maglev line's operation.

The Shanghai Transrapid Maglev Line is the world's first and only high-speed commercial commuting system using state-of-the-art electromagnetic levitation technology.

Maglev shows close cooperation

The Shanghai Transrapid Maglev System shows a close Germany-China cooperation, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said.

Expressing his pleasure for the trial operation, Schroeder said this project demonstrates close bilateral relations of cooperation, especially in the economic, trade and hi-tech sectors.

There are few cities in the world like Shanghai that can accomplish the project with such a fast speed and high quality, Schroeder said.

The German leader wished the project greater success in the future.

Transrapid line a miracle for Shanghai: Zhu

The inauguration of the world's first-ever commercial maglev system is "a major event in the history of Shanghai's urban development, as well as of China's railway transportation," Premier Zhu said.

"It is a miracle for Shanghai to accomplish such a state-of-the-art, hi-tech project in such a short span of time," Premier Zhu said Tuesday morning at the ceremony here marking the maiden journey of the futuristic train at the Shanghai International Media Center.

"The new maglev line is a beneficial exploration in the development of rail transport. It will not only help accelerate Shanghai's drive of turning itself into a modern metropolis and but serve as an impetus to the growth of the related technologies in China," Zhu said.

The showcase maglev line, in which German technologies were imported and utilized, has been the latest outcome of Sino-German cooperation in the hi-tech field, the Chinese premier noted, and it is expected to further boost bilateral economic and technological ties to a still higher level.

Premier Zhu expressed the hope that both Chinese and German cooperative partners would "keep improving the system and further implore ways of localizing the production of maglev equipment so as to make it still more economical and competitive."

It has taken German and Chinese scientists and engineers two years and a half to complete the showcase maglev line at a cost of approximately 10 billion yuan (about 1.2 billion US dollars).

Background: High-speed maglev system

The high-speed maglev system is an all-round revolutionary event in the history of traditional rail system, epitomizing the humankind's greatest efforts to achieve higher and higher speeds.

Unlike the current railway system, the system runs on magnetic levitation lines rather than conventional tracks. The powerful electromagnetic force enables the swift train to detach itself from the line "tracks" and float above it, thus greatly reducing friction and increasing the propelling force. The guidance and propulsion magnets control the steering and propulsion of the speeding train.

A maglev system can at times reach speeds of up to 400-500 kilometers per hour, much faster than any conventional railway system.

The lack of contact between the train and the maglev "tracks" reduces the noise level and lessens wear and tear on the land of arising modern city.

The maglev system is also energy-efficient. Its energy consumption is only about half that of automobiles and one-fourth of that of aircraft with comparable transportation capacity.

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