So What's the Word on Shanghai's Maglev

[DanS]

Wasn't Mindseye going to try it out yesterday or today? So what's the word?

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/01/business/worldbusiness/01RAIL.html?ex=1042002000&en=3e65dfce719a3036&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE

Much better to spend money on this than on manned space flight at this time.

[DRoseDARs]

Give it some time. Today was just a ribbon cutting ceremony, with bigwigs and officials having their little photo-ops. It might be a few days before any Apolytoners can even get a ride as there might be thousands of other people vying for butt room.

As far as spending the money, it seems they're doing just fine with the money they're already spending, though more wouldn't hurt... Though I far more support spending the money on maglevs as we need to find ways of making our transportation systems more efficient, both in terms of moving ever-more people AND poluting the environment less.

[mindseye]

Wasn't Mindseye going to try it out yesterday or today?

I'm planning to ride it tomorrow, January 2nd, its second day of operation. I figured the first day things might be too chaotic. Update to follow!

[DanS]

Thanks! They say it won't be in "normal" operation until later in the year. What does normal operation mean?

[Provost Harrison]

We loved you here Mindseye, you will be sadly missed...

[mindseye]

They say it won't be in "normal" operation until later in the year.

Um, okay, today I know what that means: until March or so, it will only operate on weekends, or at least that's what my best source tells me. At this point my ride has been postponed until Sunday. Until then, here are excerpts from a Times article about yesterday's opening, plus an image to tide you over until I shoot my own.

Zhu Rongji, the Chinese Prime Minister, and Gerhard Schröder, the German Chancellor, took an inaugural ride yesterday before the start of regular service next year. The German delegation was visibly amazed by the speed with which one of its abiding technological dreams had been realised by the Chinese.

Germany had spent 30 years developing the train, spending billions of public money, only to decide that the superfast and environmentally friendly rail network was too expensive. Then along came officials from the People's Republic, who said that China could not only afford the train but would build it in little more than a year.

Asked if a subway line might not have worked just as well and at much lower cost, Xu Kuangdi, the former Mayor of Shanghai, said: "Oh no. We need something chic."

But the real business logic is anchored in a plan to expand the rail line to neighbouring Hangzhou, more than 100 miles south, passing Jiaxing, the birthplace of the Communist Party.

The city of 14 million people is keen to be regarded as an equal to New York, Tokyo and London. Shanghai businessmen involved in the project insist that it will be profitable. They expect up to ten million passengers a year, a fifth of whom will be non-airport visitors just enjoying the £5 ride.

There are even plans to lay 800 miles of track all the way to Beijing to rival airlines and give China the mobility its expanding economy demands, or the flair for which its vanity cries out.

The speedy planning and execution displayed in Shanghai has struck some observers as hasty and erratic. The city's government decided to buy the new train to cover up an earlier mistake: it forgot to provide public transport to its new airport. Hence an over-ecstatic celebration of the train's inauguration in China's official media.

China's maglev line cost £745 million to build 19 miles - £39 million per mile

Improving Britain's creaking rail network does not cost much less. The cost of upgrading the West Coast Main Line from London to Glasgow has risen from £2.1 billion to £13 billion - £32 million per mile

The 70-mile Channel Tunnel Rail Link will cost £5.2 billion when completed in 2007 - £74 million per mile, nearly twice as much as maglev

[ranskaldan]

Nice!

Remember to tell us about everything after you try it.

[DanS]

Yeh, please do tell. I'm especially interested in hearing whether it feels, looks, or is in actuality as heavy as a normal train.

[orange]

indeed I'd love to hear about it

[Dinner]

Seattle was the first city to build a maglev train line which they did for the 1960 world's fair. Unfortunately it was only three miles line and the politicians have been bickering about how to come up with the funds to complete the network ever since. I say they shot a few politicians in order to make things run faster!

[aahz_capone]

Damn, they should have those things everywhere.

[Tingkai]

One of the good things, perhaps the only good thing, about the Chinese leadership is that they all tend to come from an engineering background. I think that's why China's doing this meglev and its space program.

[aahz_capone]

I hope china's will to dominate space (they want to go to the moon and mars too!) will rekindle the space race. Since the Cold War ended, the country with most chance of doing much,USA hasn't done much at all.

[DanS]

Don't think it will rekindle the space race. Overall, I think China's money into manned space is almost completely wasted. At least there is less waste here.

[SpencerH]

What are the health effects of maglev trains do you think? AFAIK no one has proven detrimental effects of strong magnetic fields but personally I'd avoid em.