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China Mulls Beijing-Shanghai High-speed Rail Link
China may build a high-speed magnetic levitation (maglev) rail link from Beijing to Shanghai if a proposed German-built maglev line from Pudong International Airport to the Oriental Pearl TV Tower is successful, the Shanghai Daily reported Thursday.
"The 40-kilometer (25-mile) magnetic levitation train in Pudong will not only provide fast transport to and from the airport, but also serve as a litmus test for subsequent rail projects," said Wu Wenqi, a professor at Shangahi Tongji University.
German Thyssen Krupp AG signed an agreement with Shanghai Mayor Xu Kuangdi Saturday to conduct a feasibility study on the airport rail project and outlined the city's intention to import German magnetic levitation technology, the paper reported.
Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji took a ride on an experimental maglev train while visiting Germany on his European tour.
Wu said a maglev line between Beijing and Shanghai would take only three hours in contrast to a conventional rail express link which would take around six hours, the paper added.
Government officials and engineers are still debating whether to build a high-speed rail link and what kind of line to construct, the paper said.
"If the Pudong line operates well for two or three years, the country will likely opt for the maglev, which would be more convenient for long-distance travel," Wu said.
If the deal goes ahead, Thyssen Krupp would provide the city with an electromagnetic suspension (EMS) maglev line, which uses electromagnets mounted under the train on a guideway that allows the train to glide one centimeter above the guideway. Construction of the Pudong line would be completed about 2005.
Wu said the construction of the maglev line is estimated to cost 150 million yuan (US$18.1 million) a kilometer, far less that a subway line which costs an estimated 700 million yuan (US$84.34 million) per kilometer.
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