Beijing plans to construct maglev railway to Mentougou District

On the afternoon of July 7, at the international transportation exhibition held at China International Exhibition Center, residents of Beijing saw the model of the maglev train which might run through their communities in future. It was the first public appearance of Beijing’s maglev train. According to workers at the exhibition, the actual train will be the third generation of its kind. It has passed all kinds of tests at Tangshan Test Base, has already traveled 30,000 kilometers, and can reach speeds of 120 kilometers per hour. Wang Gang, director of the Information Center under Beijing Municipal Committee of Transport, disclosed that maglev trains will be launched in Beijing by 2015. At present, Beijing is selecting a suitable line to test the maglev train.

On the afternoon of July 7, at the international transportation  exhibition held at China International Exhibition Center, residents  of Beijing saw the model of the maglev train which might run through  their communities in future.

The first maglev train independently manufactured by China might appear on the railway line from the urban district of Beijing to Mentougou District by 2015. Yang Xiuren, Chief Engineer of Beijing Urban Engineering Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd., said that plans and preparations are still being made.

The technology is ready to use at any time

In the “2009 China (Beijing) International City Traffic, Subway, Rail Transportation and Municipal Facilities Exhibition” held at China International Exhibition Center on July 7, the first maglev train independently manufactured by China made its debut.

At the exhibition, Beijing’s low to medium speed maglev train was displayed to the public for the first time. Workers there said that this set of maglev train and railway models, which are little bigger than toys, are the “ancestors” of China’s maglev train. “These are the first maglev trains and railways manufactured by us, and our current maglev trains were all produced based on them.”

The technicians at the exhibition said that after many years of research, China’s maglev trains are in their third generation. The train has passed all kinds of tests at Tangshan Test Base and has already traveled 30,000 kilometers. He estimated that the trains that will finally be put in to use might be products of the fifth generation.

An officer from the train’s research institute said that the technology for the practical operation of the maglev train from the Maglev Transportation Company under Beijing Enterprises Group is extremely advanced and is ready to use at any time. At present, technicians are still researching how to further reduce energy consumption.