What is known

China says magnetic loop train broke world speed record in a test run and is being improved speed of 623 kilometers per hour. Ultimately, its creators want to build a train more than three times faster that will break the sound barrier and outperform airplanes.

T-Flight was built by the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC). We have seen a lot of news about it, because China does not miss the opportunity to demonstrate it at various exhibitions. The country is not ashamed to boast of this technology because it is an analogue of the famous but long-suffering Hyperloop, which no one built.

T-Flight train / Photo: CASIC

The T-Flight also reaches tremendous speeds by traveling in a low-vacuum tube, taking advantage of the lack of air resistance. The capsules (wagons) that will one day accommodate people are propelled using magnetic levitation.

To test the new train, CASIC engineers built a track approximately 2 kilometers long in a low-pressure vacuum tube. To achieve such high speeds it is also necessary to provide a flat surface, so the company made it flat so that the difference between the lowest and highest points is no more than 0.3 millimeters. The geometric error of the 6 meter wide tunnel is less than 2 millimeters.

What plans

CASIC wants to allow the train to develop speed by extending the track to 60 kilometers in the second phase of T-Flight tests. up to 1,000 kilometers per hour. At this theoretical top speed, the magnetic flying train would be even faster than a passenger plane, reaching an average speed of 925 to 966 kilometers per hour.

But the company’s goals are not limited to this: Plans include a connection between Wuhan and Beijing that could improve speed up to 2,000 kilometers per hour.