China said to be developing maglev for Greater Bay

The Shenzhen Urban Transport Planning Center is allegedly developing a maglev train that can reach speeds of up to 600 kilometers per hour, according to reports by Hong Kong media.

Earlier last week, the First Workshop on Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area Maglev and Advanced Rail Transit Development was held at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

During the workshop, the Shenzhen center informed that it is studying the construction of high- speed maglev test lines in Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and other Greater Bay cities.

The train is said to directly reach other Greater Bay cities in half an hour and to promote resource interaction within the region.

The center’s director, Zhang Xiaochun, said that the maglev test lines in the study will connect to Guangzhou airport, Guangzhou central district, Nansha Free trade zone, Shenzhen airport, and Hong Kong airport. The goal is to establish China’s first high-speed maglev intercity line, according to Zhang.

In response to media enquiries, Hong Kong’s transport and housing bureau said that it is paying close attention to the long-term cross-boundary transport arising from the development of the Greater Bay Area.

The Hong Kong authority further noted that, when considering new cross-border infrastructures, the impact on passenger traffic and financial performance posed by the Hong Kong section of the high-speed rail and by the existing cross-boundary railways should be measured as well.

The maglev train is also one of the key research and development projects of the national science and technology ministry’s 13th five-year plan.

In 2020, a pilot 600 kilometer per hour maglev train is expected to start operation.

As of today, Macau has only been connected to mainland China in terms of the railway system through the train network in Zhuhai. JZ