Prototype 600 km/h maglev train expected by 2020

China is planning to develop a prototype by 2020 of a high-speed maglev train that can reach 600 kilometers per hour.

The technical plan for the 600 km/h maglev train was approved on Thursday by a review committee consisting of 19 experts, according to CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of China Railway Rolling Stock Corp, the largest rolling stock manufacturer by asset volume in the world.

If put into commercial service, the train could shorten travel time between Beijing and Shanghai to more than two hours from 4.5 hours, as the current high-speed train runs at 350 km/h.