Chinas bold move to build 30 kilometers of magnetically levitated high-speed guideway between Shanghai and its new Pudong Airport in three years has resulted in a system of trains moving up to 431 km per hour. It is being hailed as a success, but with engineering challenges that U.S. proponents are taking to heart.
Chinese officials took the giant step to build the worlds first commercial application of the technology after a 2000 visit to Transrapid Internationals test track in Bremen, Germany. Shanghai Maglev Transportation Development Co. Ltd. (SMTDC) was formed to lead the effort to build all structures within three years. The estimated $1.2-billion project included two stations and fabrication of some 2,551 girders, most 24 meters long and weighing 175 tons.