This Day, That Year

Item from Nov 30, 1999, in China Daily: Workers adjust the electricity cords for the Pearl Railway Line in Shanghai. The train is set to begin operations on July 1, 2000. The elevated railway, the first in China, will be able to transport 700,000 passengers each day and help relieve the city's transportation burdens.

In 2003, Shanghai rolled out a commercial magnetic-levitation rail link, the first of its kind in the world.

Unlike traditional wheeled trains, maglev carriages work by using magnets to push the train from the tracks and drive it forward with significantly reduced friction. The maglev trains connecting Shanghai Pudong International Airport with the city's downtown area can run at more than 430 kilometers per hour.