"The current maximum speed of high-speed rail lines is 350 kilometers per hour, but in a vacuum tube, with the same driving force, it can run up to 1,000 kilometers per hour. From Chengdu to Beijing, it can be reached in one and a half hours." Deng Zigang, known as the "China High-speed Rail Man", said in a video.
On September 25, the above video was on the hot search list in Beijing. So far, the hot search topic "It may only take 90 minutes to get from Chengdu to Beijing by car in the future" has received 120 million views and 52,000 interactions. The high-temperature superconducting maglev train has begun to arouse many people's daydreams about future travel. "I'm really looking forward to it. It's so convenient to go back to Chengdu. It's faster than flying." Said a Chengdu native who drifted to the north.
Public information shows that the high-temperature superconducting maglev train is a high-speed maglev train with a regular operating speed of 500 kilometers per hour and a maximum speed of more than 600 kilometers per hour. It is also known as the "ground-hugging flying train."
As a hot research topic in the field of new rail transportation, high-speed maglev has gradually entered the public's vision and life in recent years. In the field of high-speed maglev, it includes the exploration of different systems such as normal conduction electromagnetic levitation, low (high) temperature superconducting electric levitation, permanent magnet electric levitation and high-temperature superconducting pinned maglev.
It is reported that my country began research on manned high-temperature superconducting maglev trains in 1997. In 2000, the world's first manned high-temperature superconducting maglev experimental vehicle "Century" was born at Southwest Jiaotong University; in 2013, the country's first The manned high-temperature superconducting maglev circular test line was successfully developed. The superconducting maglev test vehicle can continuously operate at a speed of 50 kilometers per hour on the circular line; in 2021, a high-speed maglev engineering prototype vehicle developed by Southwest Jiaotong University rolled off the assembly line in Chengdu.
Deng Zigang, a researcher at the National Key Laboratory of Rail Transit Carrier Systems at Southwest Jiaotong University, said that superconducting maglev uses superconducting materials. Its biggest advantage is that it has no resistance, which can reduce heat consumption during current transmission. The conductivity can reach dozens of times more than conventional conductor copper wires, which can generate greater levitation, guidance and driving force.
At the end of March this year, the first domestic high-temperature superconducting electric suspension all-element test system independently developed by CRRC Changchun Rail Coach Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "CRRC Changchun") completed its first suspension operation. The system is suitable for high-speed, ultra-high-speed and low-vacuum pipeline transportation. Application scenarios, the application speed can reach 600 kilometers/hour and above, marking my country's important technological breakthrough in the field of high-temperature superconducting electric levitation. It also means that the three technical routes of conventional high-speed maglev, high-temperature superconducting maglev, and high-temperature superconducting electric maglev are advancing hand in hand in China.
According to Jiemian News, the main difference between CRRC Changchun's superconducting electric technology and Southwest Jiaotong University's high-temperature superconducting technology is that the former can only levitate the train when it is in motion, while the latter can levitate when the train is stationary.
Although high-temperature superconducting maglev trains have the advantages of fast speed, smooth running, no friction, low energy consumption, and environmental friendliness, there are still some problems, such as the stability and cost of high-temperature superconducting materials, power supply and energy consumption issues, safety and reliability issues, etc., which need further research and resolution.
As early as 2021, Deng Zigang said that objectively speaking, there are still many technical and economic problems that need to be overcome in the engineering and commercial operation of high-speed maglev. Whether it is normally conductive maglev or superconducting pinned maglev, long-distance test lines need to be built for comprehensive high-speed test verification. The development and operation of high-speed maglev still has a long way to go.
It is understood that Southwest Jiaotong University is currently building a test line of approximately 1.5 kilometers. But in 2020, CRRC Sifang's high-speed maglev train was tested on a 1.5-kilometer test line at Tongji University. At that time, the train's top speed was only 55 kilometers. At that time, Ding Sansan, deputy chief engineer of CRRC Sifang, said that the maglev train could not accelerate to a speed of several hundred kilometers per hour and eventually stop in such a short distance. The formal test line would need to be at least 50 kilometers.
In addition, some experts have revealed that if a test is conducted to verify whether it can run at a speed of more than 600 kilometers per hour, the test line length will need to be at least 60-100 kilometers, and the investment will be close to 30 billion yuan. Take the Shanghai Maglev Line, which has a total length of 30 kilometers and a total investment of 8.9 billion yuan, as an example. The investment per kilometer is about 300 million yuan. Even if the ticket price is 50 yuan, the equivalent of 1.67 yuan per kilometer is nearly four times higher than the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail.
Although the cost performance of maglev trains is relatively low, in recent years, many regions or lines have made relevant plans. According to agency statistics, the market size of China's urban maglev industry will be 5.09 billion yuan in 2021, reaching 5.9 billion yuan in 2022, and is expected to reach 5.84 billion yuan in 2023.
"On the one hand, maglev trains, as an emerging mode of transportation, have high technological content and demonstration effects, and play a positive role in promoting the city's image and development; on the other hand, maglev trains have the advantages of high speed, comfort, and no vibration, which can meet people's needs for efficient and convenient travel, and are of great significance in easing traffic pressure and improving urban transportation efficiency." said the above-mentioned industry insiders.