First Maglev Railway Vital to High-speed Lines The world's first maglev railway for commercial operation in China's economic center Shanghai will be an important model for other planned high-speed railway lines in China. Chinese Minister of Railways Fu Zhihuan said Friday at a press conference that either traditional tracks or magnetic levitation methods can be chosen for a planned Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway. The result of the Shanghai project will be very important for the decision. The Shanghai maglev railway, which will run at a speed of more than 400 km per hour, will greatly shorten the traveling time fromdowntown Shanghai to one of its airports. A Sino-German project, the railway will begin trial operation by the end of this month. China plans to construct more high-speed railways in the futureto meet economic challenges. A 2,000-km railway from Beijing to Shanghai, and another one connecting Guangzhou and Hong Kong, are undergoing preliminary research. In both cases, construction methods have not been decided yet, according to Fu. China is proficient in traditional track construction, but has limited knowledge about magnetic levitation technology which is still under experimentation, Fu said. Fu said the railway ministry and experts from Hong Kong have set up a joint team to research and blueprint the Guangzhou-Hong Kong railway.
