Sights · Our pick in Shanghai
The Shanghai Maglev and China’s high-speed railways: the back story
The back story
About The Shanghai Maglev and China’s high-speed railways: the back story
Shanghai is the place to feel the speed of modern China. The Maglev glides from Pudong airport into the city without touching the rails, and from Hongqiao station the trains of the world’s largest high-speed network leave for Beijing, Hangzhou and beyond.
The Maglev
The Shanghai Maglev, the world’s first high-speed magnetic levitation line in commercial service, opened in 2004 between Longyang Road in Pudong and Pudong International Airport, a distance of about 30 kilometres. Built with German Transrapid technology, the train floats on magnetic fields and is driven by a linear motor, so there are no wheels on rails and the ride is uncannily smooth.
For many years it ran at up to 431 km/h, the fastest scheduled service in the world. Since May 2021 its top speed in service has been 300 km/h, and the journey takes about eight minutes; watch the speed display at the end of each carriage.
The Maglev never touches its track: it floats on magnetic fields a centimetre or so above the guideway.
China’s high-speed railways
Since the first lines opened in 2008, China has built by far the largest high-speed railway network in the world, now well over 40,000 kilometres. The flagship Beijing–Shanghai line opened in 2011; the fastest Fuxing trains, at up to 350 km/h, make the journey of about 1,300 kilometres in around four and a half hours. Shanghai Hongqiao, beside the city’s second airport, is one of the largest railway stations in Asia, with trains to Hangzhou, Suzhou, Nanjing and far beyond.
Our advice: take the Maglev at least once, from or to the airport. For a day trip by bullet train, Suzhou is about half an hour from Hongqiao and Hangzhou about an hour; bring your passport, which you need to buy tickets and pass the gates.
Why it's on our list
- Opened 2004
- About 30 km
- Up to 300 km/h
- Beijing in about 4½ hours
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with The Shanghai Maglev and China’s high-speed railways: the back story before you go.