A group of experts have submitted a letter of suggestion to the central government on constructing five medium-low speed commercial maglev lines by 2020, said Qian Qingquan, an academic at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, at a rail transit industry seminar held in Zhuzhou, Hunan Province, last week.
In May this year, a low-speed Maglev line went into operation in Changsha, Hunan Province, causing concerns over noise and radiation. Qian emphasized that radiation, inside and outside the trains, is lower than international and domestic standards and would not affect health.
In their letter of suggestion, the 25 experts noted that China possesses the necessary integral technology for Maglev development, plus China’s growing urbanization at present offers great potential for railway businesses and industrial supply chains.
Jia Limin, team leader of the 13th Five-Year Plan on Modern Railways and a professor at Beijing Jiaotong University, told The Paper, a Shanghai-based news site, that it is worthwhile focusing on Maglev lines’ strategic value and that China’s hyperloop transport system may keep a lead on the rest of the world.
High costs remain the main impediment to Maglev development, as Science Times reported. Zhu Qijie, former deputy director of the China Academy of Railway Science, stressed that authorities need to formulate reasonable plans to lower costs. In addition, low-speed Maglev lines should be connected with existing railway networks, he said.