Magnetic levitation: the return of transport's great 'what if?'

34 years after the first commercial maglev line opened in Birmingham, the futuristic tech enjoys an Asia-driven rebirth

At first glance it looks like a regular train threading between tower blocks and emerald hills on the western outskirts of Beijing, but the futuristic vehicle is actually part of the Chinese capital’s newest transportation toy, a magnetic levitation (maglev) system.

Because no part of the vehicles touch any part of the eight kilometre (five mile) line, the trains on the new S1 route from Shichang to Pingguoyuan glide almost silently, with no fuming diesel engines and no squealing metal-on-metal of wheels on track.

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2PWAU7X

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