A piece of German engineering cannot only be seen, but be used here in Shanghai. The Germans invented the Transrapid some decades ago, built a test track in Emsland, somewhere in the northern German no man's land, but have never built an actual track. There were talks and visions many years ago to connect some of the major cities, like Hamburg and Berlin, but studies showed that it would be too expensive. Then, peasants, environmentalists and normal people protested against those plans and that was the end of it.
Almost.
Because then came Edmund - Ede - Stoiber, Minister President of Bavaria (1993 - 2007), with his revolutionary vision to build a track between the Munich main train station and the airport. His arguments were plausible, the distance is only 20 or so miles, it wouldn't cost that much and you'd only need 10 minutes to get there, instead of the 40 - 60 minutes you need normally. He targeted a lower, affordable ticket price, but again everybody was against his plans and vision and the dream of the Transrapid died once again.
But then came the Chinese. I dare say that the Chinese and the Arabs don't talk much about plans and don't waste time with various studies. Money is there, the will is there, so they build. Ede's dream has become real in Shanghai. The Transrapid is called Maglev here and it is the only magnetic train on earth that is used commercially. It connects the Pudong international airport with the city, but doesn't go into the centre and doesn't reach any of the train stations. But travel time is under 10 minutes.
Ticket prices are low at 50 Yuan one way economy (40 Yuan if you have a flight ticket for the day), business class is 80 Yuan (return tickets available).
What is it like? Well, you'll be disappointed. First, make sure you travel at the high speed times. Some times of the day the Maglev is doing 430 km/h and most times it's doing 301 km/h only. Bullet trains are faster. Unfortunately for me, it did only 301 when I travelled with it. If you imagine a smooth ride, something like floating or flying, it's nothing like it. It's a bumpy ride. Bullet trains are smoother. But try it at least once when you're here, just for the sake of it.
The German Transrapid died unfortunately a few years ago. If you would like to read more about it, click on the link farther down.
Almost.
Because then came Edmund - Ede - Stoiber, Minister President of Bavaria (1993 - 2007), with his revolutionary vision to build a track between the Munich main train station and the airport. His arguments were plausible, the distance is only 20 or so miles, it wouldn't cost that much and you'd only need 10 minutes to get there, instead of the 40 - 60 minutes you need normally. He targeted a lower, affordable ticket price, but again everybody was against his plans and vision and the dream of the Transrapid died once again.
But then came the Chinese. I dare say that the Chinese and the Arabs don't talk much about plans and don't waste time with various studies. Money is there, the will is there, so they build. Ede's dream has become real in Shanghai. The Transrapid is called Maglev here and it is the only magnetic train on earth that is used commercially. It connects the Pudong international airport with the city, but doesn't go into the centre and doesn't reach any of the train stations. But travel time is under 10 minutes.
Ticket prices are low at 50 Yuan one way economy (40 Yuan if you have a flight ticket for the day), business class is 80 Yuan (return tickets available).
What is it like? Well, you'll be disappointed. First, make sure you travel at the high speed times. Some times of the day the Maglev is doing 430 km/h and most times it's doing 301 km/h only. Bullet trains are faster. Unfortunately for me, it did only 301 when I travelled with it. If you imagine a smooth ride, something like floating or flying, it's nothing like it. It's a bumpy ride. Bullet trains are smoother. But try it at least once when you're here, just for the sake of it.
The German Transrapid died unfortunately a few years ago. If you would like to read more about it, click on the link farther down.
Pay attention to the times!!!
Ede
Ede and his vision (FJS airport in the background)
Audio
Links (They all open in a new window)
Videos (may not show or play on iPads and iPhones)
If you would like to read more by me, find the following two on amazon. If you can't find them but the title, type in the name Theodore Goumas and they will come up.
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