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Download Chinese scientists have built the world's first prototype testing platform for an ultra-high-speed vacuum maglev train, which theoretically could hit speeds up to 2,900 km per hour, or almost three times the speed of a passenger jet, researchers confirmed on Wednesday. Running the maglev train in a near-vacuum environment is the best way to ensure the comfort and energy economy of an ultra-high speed train, said Deng Zigang, head of the project team based in Southwest Jiaotong University in Sichuan's capital Chengdu. When a train's speed reaches 400 km per hour or above, Deng said, more than 83 percent of the traction is wasted to offset air resistance and the aerodynamic noise is over 90 db, higher than the 75 db set by design standards. Southwest Jiaotong University developed the initial high temperature superconducting magnetic levitation test loop in March 2013, and the latest model had the vacuum pipe that became the world's first evacuated tube transport system. When the train runs in the tube, the pressure inside is 10 times lower than outside and the train can use more power for driving at high speed, Deng said. From the point of design, the vacuum ultra-high-speed maglev train uses two different technologies to increase the speed of the train, said Zhao Lin, an associate research fellow of the National Lab for Superconductivity, Institute of Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. | 
