Construction starts on Beijing's maglev line

BEIJING - A maglev line using Chinese technology was brought under construction in Beijing on Monday, despite objections from residents living along the line.

The new low-to-medium speed S1 Line is the first of its kind in the country, making China the second nation in the world to have such a line, said Chang Wensen, chief project manager of the line.

The project shows China has the capability to engineer and use low-to-medium speed maglev technology, said Chang, who is also a professor at the National University of Defense Technology and leads a research team that developed the technology.