Good news. Maglev extended the operation time from today, according to Shanghai Daily.
The trains will run from 7am until 9pm instead of the normal 8.30am to 5.30pm
I complained that although Maglev is my first-choice if I can take Maglev, I only took Maglev for once. I believe I am a frequent flyer, but I seldom take flight later than 9:00 or get back to Shanghai early than 6:00. So I missed Maglev. Maglev connects the airport to my home (somewhere 4 km away from my home) and it takes only 8 minutes, but I wasn’t able to enjoy te benifit.
My Maglev Picture
I took many Maglev pictures before. Among them, there is one about Maglev before the control tower.
Today, when I search for Maglev, I saw “Maglev, First on DVD” Google Adwords advertisement on the right. Clicking on it, and I found out the DVD. It sells at 24.5 USD.
I recalled from my memery that I have granted the permission to them to use the picture free of charge as their DVD cover. Now, this is the result. Pretty good.
Check out all the Maglev Pictures I have:
© Jian Shuo Wang. Shanghai Maglev Inside
© Jian Shuo Wang. Shanghai Maglev Outside
The collage photos were created with Picaso 2.0 from Google.
P.S. Xiao Fan from Pian Pian Qing
I was impressed to find out Claire Robertson’s blog and wrote: “I Write While She Draws“. Today, I found another person who is also amazing. I would say: “I Write While She Speaks“.
Xiaofan, the host of famous broadcast program Pian Pian Qing on AM 792, Shanghai
I kepted writing one article one day for 3 years. Xiao Fan create an one hour broadcast program every day. Most times it is real time broadcast on the most attractive channel in Shanghai – City792. How long she has kept doing this? Nine Years!
If broadcasting were not her job, she may be the most consistent podcaster. :-)
The running time may be extended, but they reduced the maximum speed to ‘only’ 300 km/h during these extended hours. No clue why. Also the train only runs every 15 minutes. If you take into account the time to walk to the train (quite far), buy a ticket (sometimes long lines) and if you have to wait for the train there is not that much time you will gain.
Recently I talked to a CEO of a foreign company who wanted to try the Maglev. So he sent the driver who was supposed to pick him up from the airport to the end station. It turns out that the driver arrived there before the CEO arrived! The station may be close to your house, so it is convenient for you. But I don’t take the train anymore, it costs me more time and money to change to a taxi in Pudong.
Accroding to the news, the decrease of the speed is to save energy.
Hahaha !
Which news agency was that ?
For saving energy we shall run our cars at 60 km/h (in top gear), with no stops.
Anything less or more is waste of energy. But how to do that in Shanghai ? :-)
Back to the subject :
Why make a fast train, if it is not intended to go fast ?
To be honest, I think the owners (guess who) only want the train to go at full speed in the daylight for safety reasons, as some “crazy people” might try to do some “bad things” in the darkness, and then it is more safe to crash the train at 300 km/h. Logical, huh ?
About pollution :
The Maglev uses electricity and therefore indirectly uses coal, which is used as fuel in the power plants in Shanghai. Then the train cannot be called “environmentally friendly”, as these plants let out all the smoke and gases unfiltered and untreated.
Thanks for the information.
I wish the owners would make it possible to use the “Shanghai Public Transportation Card”.
Standing there with suitcases and stuff makes it awkward to stand in line to buy a ticket.
Unnecessary.
And let all pay 40 RMB for single trip, not 50 RMB.
No one pays 50 RMB.
If someone wants to follow their friends to the airport to say goodbye,
they buy a roundtrip ticket (80 RMB) anyway.
My house is in Puxi, and I cannot find a good reason to use Maglev/taxi instead of taxi all the way to Puxi especially when I have more than two baggages. The train is superb, but the facility at the west terminal is not user friendly.
Maglev is never intended to be the airport shuttle, but a testing ground for and on behalf of the Transrapid, and eventually all the test data goes exclusively in the hand of German at the expenses of Chinese people.
BTW, Maglev is too short to be of any useful purpose.
I live in puxi,so I like to hongqiao airport.
It is difficult to take Maglev.
shirley
Stephen, for me in Pudong this train is very useful !
And now it will be for Jianshuo too, due to the extended operation hours.
The fact is, that any test data from this train is of no of value for the german company of Transrapid, because they HAVE already made the design of the train, so why test it again ?? They even had their own test facility in Germany for many years !
So, I’m sorry to say that you’re simply talking bullshit, Stephen.
This train is up and running, due to excellent engineering.
Fact is, chinese authorities are now directly stealing the technology, because they want to make their own copy “Mini-Maglev” from Pudong Airport to Lingang (with no help from germans) !
And if you ask chinese, it seems that they feel they having a “right” to do so, because they bought the train.
So, it’s the same situation as this :
If I buy a computer, you think that I will automatically have the right to feel free to use all the design and engineering that made the thing run, huh ? For free ??? NO way !
Anyway, I will definitely NOT ride the Lingang-line in the first 5 years of operation, whatsoever.
To be honest, I’m working with chinese engineers everyday, so I have very strong reasons to say so :-) !
HI Carsten; To turn the R&D investment into profit, the Germans need to find buyers for their trains. What is the best way to sell it to your next customer? You tell them you have already build one in Shanghai that currently is in operation COMMERCIALLY. In some senses, the Shanghai maglev-train was used as a guinea pig for the Germans to achieve their engineering excellence. Stephen is not bullshitting you here.
Let the Lawyers to protect the German technologies. “Copy-cat” activities are not limited to China only. It is a global phenomenon occurs in developed nations too. Did the MS learn (or steal) from the Apple? Did the Compaq lean from the IBM? The Air-bus vs. Boeing and Boeing vs. Air-busÂ…
I have taken the Maglev during the extended hours and it is a big improvement on the previous operating hours. You can be in the departure area of the airport 10 minutes after departing from Longyang Road, and since I live 2km from Longyang Road station I can get to the airport pretty fast :)
A benefit of taking the maglev, rather than the taxi is improved safety, I think.
At the Longyang Road terminus they should improve the escalators. There is only an upward escalator into the station. Since many people will be carrying luggage it obviously would make sense to have downward escalators as well.
Does anyone know if the timetable is posted anywhere. There seem to be 2 to 3 trains an hour and trains seem to depart Longyang Road on the hour, but otherwise I don;t know the exact timetable.
Send Me?
Hi, I have 0820hrs SQ flight to board on Sat. Can anybody tell me whether I can make it in time if I take the 0700hrs maglev train to the airport?
This is my first time and I cannot help worrying. To take a cab would be very costly from century avenue. Thank you.
It seems possible, but very risky – the counter of International Flight closes 45 minutes before the departure time. Do consult your airline. One thing for sure is, if you CAN take the train leaving Long Yang Road at 7:00 AM, it is for sure that you will arrive at airport at 7:08 AM, and it takes about 10 minutes to walk to the counter.
Those photo collections are just amazing, nice shots, I just love them. Great job!