PVG: Closer Look at MagLev

Attached are some pictures taken by Morning from impolo.com at the begining of this year after the MagLev just srated trail. Nice picture!

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Credit: Morning from impolo.com

It seems the train just hit a bird on the head. The blood is still there. Poor bird! It seems the birds still didn’t get used to live with the train yet.

Below is the picture of the Longyang Rd. Station at the other end of the rail.

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Credit: Morning from impolo.com

The latest update about the Maglev is, the formal operation will start from Jan of next year. Nice news for Maglev fan, isn’t it?

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16 thoughts on “PVG: Closer Look at MagLev

  1. I think they should install some kind of device either on the train or along the rails to keep those birds away.

  2. Hi, So Maglev already operated ? From Longyang Rd., Do I have to take a taxi to Pudong side as my hotel is on the other side of the river.

    Thanks

  3. Hi, So Maglev already operated ? From Longyang Rd., Do I have to take a taxi to Pudong side as my hotel is on the other side of the river.

    Thanks

  4. When I visited Shanghai back in 2000 I had a chance to visit a architectural and graphics firm that supposedly worked on a computer animation of the Maglev. I actually had a chance to view the animation that was burned onto a CD and shown on one of the local computers. It was a very slick presentation and covered the complete ride from Shanghai to Pudong airport. I have been trying to get a hold of the firm to do some presentation over here in the states but have had no luck making contact. The firm operated with support from Tongji University. The company I went to visit was called Huayu Torch and produced software and infrastructure services.

  5. Actually, with the amount of air resistance the train have to overcome at high speed, they really should have enclosed the whole track and vaccumed the whole track (not necessary have to be a total vaccum, just enough to reduce the air resistance quite enough). Drastic measure, yes. But… If they already willing to building an 30 km long linear electronic motor, enclosing the track and vaccumed it don’t look so drastic at all. Besides, that way no living thing will be able to cross the track, much alone survive there (if it needed to breath air). Many of the newer maglev concept designs featured a vaccum track, since that high speed trains don’t do too well at overcoming air resistance (even I.C.E., T.G.V. and its derivative, and the Shinkansen suffered from this).

    As for bird strike.

    That’s why airport has a ‘no bird’ policy. That way no bird will hit an airplane (includin even get sucked into its engines) and vice versa.

    It should be noted that an airplane take off speed is around 270 km/hour, much lower than the Transrapid’s top speed. An airplane made a loud sound when it take off.

    As for the maglev bird strike.

    Well… Now the bird knows on what happened to a fly when it try to cross a busy highway with many cars running at high speed.

  6. Good engineering thinking, E. A. C., about enclosing and vacuuming the tracks. However, any imperfections in the enclosure would let in a leak and suck in dust/birds/insects (by the reduced air pressure and the train’s motion); that’s a practical problem hard to solve economically. The alternative: perfecting the train’s shape and surfaces.

  7. I was always interested in Maglev trains. We have learned about them in eighth grade at school this year. We got to build models of them and test them. They were really fast, even faster than bullet trains. I loved how they don’t make any friction sounds when they pass through, and the only sound that could be heard is the wind’s whistling sound. I wanted to ride on them. I couldn’t believe that there’s already many clean Maglev stations in China already. I wish them good luck!

  8. I have been looking recently at maglev trains for a degree poject i am doing. I would be really grateful for any information that you could give me that might help. I have read all of the advertisement kind of atricles but could do with knowing some of the fundamental difficulties in implementing the trains. Thanks xxx

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