China tests high-speed train that can be as fast as a plane

China has successfully tested for the first time a high-speed passenger train that can fly in a vacuum tube at a speed of 1,000 km/h .

China Space News reported last week that the prototype hyperloop train, which operates on the principle of electromagnetic induction (hyperloop), conducted three test runs on a superconducting maglev test track in Datong, Shanxi Province. All three times, the train operated normally at a speed of more than 50km/h on the test track.

The test also tested a number of other key technologies and verified the precise operation of the high-speed train system. Currently, the vacuum tube used for testing is only 2 km long, but is expected to be extended to 60 km in the near future.

This is also the first time an Asian country has successfully tested a hyperloop train.

However, the report did not specify whether air was evacuated from the tube during the test. Maintaining a low-pressure environment in the tube is one of the biggest challenges in developing hyperloop technology.

China successfully tested a maglev train after only about 9 months of deployment. (Photo: CASIC).

In fact, the idea of ​​hyperloop technology is not new, having been conceived by American technology billionaire Elon Musk since 2012. At that time, the founder of SpaceX developed The Boring Company to turn this idea into reality.

Billionaire Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Galactic, then founded a hyperloop research and development company called Hyperloop One (later renamed Virgin Hyperloop). The company conducted the world's first test with passengers in the capsule, reaching a speed of 172 km/h in 2020.

The research team from the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) hopes that when completed, the ship will be able to carry passengers and cargo at a speed of 1,000 km/h. This speed is "like flying on the ground" when reaching speeds comparable to those of an airplane.

The fastest high-speed trains currently operate at 350km/h. Increasing their speed would significantly increase track wear and energy consumption due to air resistance.

CASIC scientists say Datong's magnetic levitation technology will help eliminate friction that wears down the tracks, while vacuum tubes reduce air resistance.

China's maglev technology came much later, with CASIC only starting construction of the Datong test facility in April last year. However, it took less than a year for the team to complete its first tests.

"It's truly a miracle" - China Space News assessed and affirmed that the reason the project yielded results so quickly was thanks to the strong support of the Chinese government.