China Builds Prototype 1,800 mph Train

Scientists at Southwest Jiaotong University in China have built a prototype testing platform for a near-vacuum high-speed maglev train that is capable of reaching speeds up to 2,900 km/h or about 1,800 mph, at least in theory. Currently, the fastest commercially operated maglev reaches just 431 km/h and even the world record is just 581 km/hr. 

According to project lead Dr. Deng Zigang, this huge increase in speed is achieved because they ran the train inside a tunnel and sucked most of the air out of it, creating a near vacuum. According to Dr. Zigang, “If the running speed exceeds 400 kilometers (250 miles) per hour, more than 83 percent of traction energy will wastefully dissipate in air resistance,” he says. Additionally, overcoming that air resistance is loud, making it uncomfortable for passengers.

In his team’s tunnel, they've brought the air pressure to 10 times lower than atmospheric pressure at sea level, drastically reducing the amount of energy needed to overcome air resistance. Pretty much just like the air that planes go through at 40,000 feet or so. 

Currently, the high speed is limited by the size of the testing platform, but with longer straightaways, Deng thinks 2,900 km/h, or nearly three times the speed of a commercial aircraft, could be achieved.

A train like that could take you from, say, New York to Los Angeles in about an hour-and-a-half. You probably wouldn't get much of a decent view of the passing scenery though.