China has debuted the world’s first suspended maglev railway line, utilizing permanent magnets that are supposed to be capable of keeping this “sky train” floating 32 feet above the ground indefinitely.
The country is so confident in the 2,600-foot Red Rail, which runs through Xingguo county in Jiangxi province, that it believes the incredible magnets—made of rare earth elements, which are claimed to improve its lifespan dramatically—will continue to work even if the power source is turned off.
According to China Central Television, the repelling force utilized to move the railway is strong enough to “float” an 88-passenger train in the air. This is not China’s first maglev train; the country introduced the “fastest ground vehicle in the world” last year.
According to South China Morning Post, the latest train is controlled by artificial intelligence, never makes physical contact with the rail, traveling at a respectable 50 mph.
According to researchers from Jingaxi University of Science and Technology, the Red Rail is an energy-efficient alternative to traditional railways due to its lack of friction and “floating” mechanism, requiring just a modest amount of electricity to operate.
Furthermore, the experts lauded the maglev technology for emitting minimum electromagnetic radiation, costing only 10% of what it generally costs to create a subway line.
Transportation authorities plan to extend the line to 4.7 miles and raise its top speed to a noticeably quicker 120 km/h after further test runs (74 mph). We can only hope that introducing this new, quieter train would improve public transportation in crowded metropolitan areas.
