Trains at nearly 3,000 kilometres an hour in sight

University research in China has successfully tested a maglev train enclosed in a vacuum tube in the pursuit of ever faster trains.

The first “manned megathermal superconducting maglev loop” was constructed at Southwest Jiatong University’s Applied Superconductivity Laboratory. Dr. Deng Zigang is leading the project.

Maglev trains are propelled using magnetic levitation and already achieve speeds of over 250 mph. The fastest in current operation is the Shanghai Train which can travel at 268 mph.

But by running trains inside a vacuum, where they do not face air resistance, they could be capable of speeds 10 times faster, i.e. up to 1,800 mph, or 2,897 km/hour.

People might never feel comfortable whizzing over ground that fast, but as reported in the Daily Mail via Phys.Org, the technology could be applied to military and space-launch systems.

To see the report in phys.org, click here.