"The world's first magnetic levitation passenger train will begin running on 1 January 2003 in Shanghai, Chinese officials have announced. The train has reached 500 kilometres per hour (312 miles per hour) in testing and will carry passengers at a top speed above 400 km/h (250 mph). The Transrapid 08 will transport travellers between Pudong International Airport and Shanghai's financial district, a distance of 30 kilometres. It will cover this route in just seven minutes. "It will be the fastest commercial train in the world," a spokesman for Transrapid, the German company that built the train, told New Scientist." http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993153 500Kph? It'd still be late if it was in operation over here... "The 10:20 maglev to London Euston has been delayed due to wet leaves disrupting the magnetics - we are sorry for the inconveniece...."
