Metro Rail News: An Ultra-High Speed Train made using ‘Maglev’ technology has recorded the fastest speed during a trial run in China. It reached a record speed of 800 kmph in just 5.3 seconds breaking its own previous record. This feat was achieved on a one kilometre test track at Donghu Laboratory of China’s Hubei province. The Maglev train uses magnetic levitation technology to slightly lift the train above ground level and thereby removing friction from the wheels.
The train accelerated to the speed of 800 kmph in 5.3 seconds and then successfully came to halt over the next 200 meters, demonstrating a highly impressive braking system.
This was the third time in the last six months that this train broke the world record. In the first test in June 2025, it reached the speed of 650 kmph in 7 seconds. In the subsequent trials it reached 700 kmph and 798 kmph respectively while decreasing the acceleration time.
Ultra-High Speed ‘Maglev’ Trains
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The conventional high-speed trains could not accelerate beyond a certain speed due to friction created by wheel and track contact and the air resistance. This backdrop paved the way for Maglev trains, the world’s fastest trains.
Magnetic Levitation or ‘Maglev’ is a technology that uses magnetic forces to lift the train at slightly above the ground level. This eliminates the physical contact between the train and the track. The technology enables the train to travel at a much higher speed than the conventional high-speed trains.
At present, these Maglev trains are running successfully across three countries, China, Japan and South Korea. The first commercial high-speed maglev train was launched in Shanghai, China in 2003.
Read more about Maglev Trains in this article: Evolving High Speed Rail: The Maglev and Hyperloop Era
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