China's 'T-Flight' Maglev Hyperloop Train Reaches Record-Breaking Speed of 387 Mph, Could Potentially Outpace Airplanes

During a short test track, China's T-flight maglev train was able to achieve a record-breaking speed of 387 mph.

T-Flight: China's Maglev Hyperloop Train

The T-Flight maglev hyperloop train was constructed by the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) owned by the state. In general, hyperloop trains operate by pushing pods that are magnetically levitating through tunnels with extremely minimal resistance to air.

The train's magnetic-levitation system makes use of magnets for pushing the train off the track and propelling it forward. This implies that the train floats off the rails and rides along an air cushion. Hence, maglev trains are both quieter and quicker compared to typical trains.

As they do not create straightforward emissions, these trains are also better for the environment. They have already been used in Japan, South Korea, and China, but at slower speeds.

China is one step closer to a cutting-edge transportation system involving a 1,000 km/h high-speed #maglev #train running in a low vacuum pipeline after newly completing the main structure of a 2-km full-scale test pipeline in N China's Shanxi, the longest of its kind globally. pic.twitter.com/rDv1NEQ20k
— China Science (@ChinaScience) November 23, 2023

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Record-Breaking Speed Achieved

While the maglev hyperloop train was able to achieve such a record-breaking speed of 387 mph, engineers want to double this number. These aims come with plans to transport passengers at speeds that outpace airplanes.

Previously, the previous record-holding maglev train for speed was the L0 Series ScMaglev in Japan. This train was able to achieve a speed of 375 mph.

For testing the new T-Flight, CASIC constructed a two-kilometer-long track within a vacuum tube of low pressure. For such high speeds to be achieved, the train must be able to encounter nearly no friction. Hence, the test track was smoothed by CASIC with a tolerance of 0.3 millimeters. This means that there is a 0.01 inch difference between the flat surface's lowest and highest points.

The six-meter tunnel also contains a geometric size error of under two millimeters, implying its margin of error against a full and perfect shape. The full pipeline can go back to normal pressure in five minutes.

In the second testing phase of the T-Flight, CASIC aims to lengthen the track to span 60 kilometers and enable the train to reach a speed of 621 mph. At such a theoretically high speed, the train would be able to outpace a passenger jet, which moves at around 575 to 600 mph on average.

Their ambitions go even further, with plans to have a connection between Beijing and Wuhan that can go up to 1,243 mph.

The hyperloop system was first proposed by Elon Musk in the US back in 2013. However, after more than a decade, Musk has yet to see such a vision come true. Moreover, one of the industry's biggest companies, Virgin, shut down its hyperloop company due to cash strapping. Fortunately, CASIC appears to have hefty pockets, as the company was able to make $37 billion last year.