In January 2021,a prototype of a high-temperature superconducting(HTS),magnetic levitation—“maglev”—train with an intended maximum speed of 620 kmh1 rolled onto a 165 m track for its first public viewing in Chengdu,the capital city of Sichuan Province,China[1].Built of lightweight carbon fiber,the 21 m long aerodynamic locomotive and its test track represent an important move forward for China’s high-speed rail future.“While the HTS technology is not a huge innovation,the big news is that they are really working toward building it,”said Tsung-Chung Kao,professor of engineering at Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and an expert in high-speed rail planning,engineering,and operation.
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