Transrapid Shanghai: 99.89% Punctuality and 28 Million Kilometers
For over 20 years the Transrapid in Shanghai has been in continuous commercial operation - and to this day it is the fastest commercially operated train in the world. With commercial top speeds of up to 431 km/h on a line just 30 km long, the Transrapid in Shanghai proves what the technology can do. On a record run in November 2003, 501.5 km/h was even reached - no other train system manages such acceleration on so short a line.
For over 20 years the Transrapid in Shanghai has been in continuous commercial operation – and to this day it is the fastest commercially operated train in the world. With commercial top speeds of up to 431 km/h on a line just 30 km long, the Transrapid in Shanghai proves what the technology can do. On a record run in November 2003, 501.5 km/h was even reached – no other train system manages such acceleration on so short a line.
At a technical conference in Qingdao, where the CRRC CF600 is being developed based on Transrapid technology, the SMTDC (Shanghai Maglev Transportation Development Co., the operator of the Shanghai Transrapid) presented impressive performance figures that the Transrapid in Shanghai has achieved since the start of operations through the end of 2023.
27.56 million kilometers traveled
Despite the short line, the four vehicles together safely covered nearly 28 million kilometers on the Shanghai line. No other maglev system in the world can beat this mileage. The use of the Transrapid in Shanghai is further proof of the practicality and longevity of the nearly wear-free maglev technology.
99.89% punctuality
Thanks to its own independent infrastructure combined with weather-independent, nearly wear-free maglev technology, the Transrapid achieves punctuality figures that are unimaginable for German rail passengers. For over 20 years, punctuality has been 99.89% and overall availability 99.94%.
Transrapid in China soon running at 600 km/h
Since 2016, Chinese rail groups and universities have been working on developing a 600 km/h maglev train based on German Transrapid technology. The CRRC CF600, unveiled in 2019, has proven at low speeds on test tracks that the technology is ready for use. Besides CRRC Sifang (from Qingdao), CRRC Zhuzhou and Changchun are also working on developing different offshoots of the German Transrapid technology, which are described in this article.
Meanwhile, planning is under way for various lines on which the CRRC CF600 could be used. For years there has been talk of extending the Shanghai Transrapid line by several hundred kilometers. First construction preparations (tunnel works) began long ago, and a third station at Hongqiao Airport is already standing ready.
