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The Shanghai Maglev Train or Shanghai Transrapid, literally "Shanghai Magnetic Levitation Demonstration Operation Line", is the first commercial high-speed maglev line in the world. The system and trains were built to the Transrapid standard. Construction began in March 2001, and public service commenced on 1 January 2004. During a test run on 12 November 2006, a maglev vehicle achieved a Chinese record speed of 311 mph.
The maglev line runs in New Shanghai east from Longyang Road station in Pudong, on the Shanghai subway line 2 to Pudong International Airport. The journey takes 7 minutes and 20 seconds to complete the distance of 30 km. A train can reach 220 mph in 2 minutes, with the maximum normal operation speed of 268 mph reached thereafter.
This new Shanghai attraction, a symbol of rapid Shanghai development, is operated by Shanghai Maglev Transportation Development Co., Ltd. As of May 2008, the line operates daily between 06:45–21:30, a one-way ticket cost 50 yuan, for those passengers holding a receipt or proof of an airline ticket purchase. A round-trip return ticket cost 80 yuan and VIP tickets cost double the standard fare.
(Shanghai D, Shanghai 2.)
The service operates once every 15 minutes. As Shanghai maglev service is limited to the Shanghai east, it can be easier and faster for those passengers with destinations in Shanghai west to use a taxi directly from Pudong International Airport, although missing out the "thrill factor" of riding on the high-speed Shanghai Maglev.
In January 2006, the New Shanghai-Hangzhou Maglev Train extension project was proposed by the Shanghai Urban Planning Administrative Bureau. The new Shanghai maglev extension would continue the existing line towards Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, running via Shanghai South Railway Station and the new Shanghai World Expo 2010 site, with a possibly continuation towards Hangzhou. If built, the new shanghai maglev extension would allow transferring between the two airports, located 34 mi apart, in approximately 15 minutes.
The plan for the new Shanghai maglev extension to Hangzhou was first approved by the central government in February 2006, with a planned date of completion in time for Shanghai 2010 Expo. Work was suspended in 2008, owing to public protests over radiation fears. According to China Daily, as reported on People's Daily Online February 27, 2009, the Shanghai municipal government is considering building the new Shanghai maglev line underground to allay the public's fear of electromagnetic pollution, and the final decision on the maglev line has to be approved by the National Development and Reform commission.
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