Chinese scientists set stunning new record as one-ton maglev train zips from 0 to 435mph in under two seconds

Chinese scientists have developed a maglev train that’s basically the ‘Bugatti Chiron’ of trains.

Acceleration has never really been a bullet point when talking about trains.

But maglev trains are changing that.

And China has just set an acceleration record that’s going to be hard to beat unless you’ve got a rocket at your disposal.

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This ‘train’ is probably faster than anything on land

Scientists from the National University of Defense Technology (NUDT) in Changsha, China, accelerated a ‘train’ from 0 to 435mph and then back to a standstill.

It wasn’t exactly a functional train, but it was basically the equivalent of a train chassis using maglev (magnetic levitation) technology.

The whole point was to prove that the physics works and the control systems can keep it from tearing itself apart.

And it’s fair to say the test went well.

The train accelerated from 0 to 435mph (700kmh) in under two seconds, and then it was brought safely back to zero on a track that’s under a quarter mile long.

That’s a record that’s probably going to be impossible to beat for a while.

Short of firing a rocket into space, we can’t think of anything else that’s capable of accelerating from 0 to 700kmh in two seconds.

Why Maglev trains are the future

Maglev is short for ‘magnetic levitation’, which counteracts the effects of gravity to allow the train to glide on air and travel at higher speeds.

No rails means no friction, and that means the train ride is faster, but also quieter and smoother.

Maglev trains are already up and running, but they’re still relatively rare.

They’re already in service, but mostly only in Korea, Japan, and of course, China.

Aside from the one we mentioned earlier – the one that gets to 435mph in under two seconds – Chinese engineers also built one that can exceed 600 mph, and the fastest train in the world, also in China, uses maglev technology.

Timeline of the most significant milestones in maglev development

1934: German engineer Hermann Kemper – ‘the father of maglev’ – is granted the first functional patent for magnetic levitation technology
1967: American physicists patent the use of superconducting magnets
1984: The world’s first commercial maglev system opens in Birmingham, England
2004: China launches the first high-speed (268mph) commercial maglev train
2015: Japan sets a new world record reaching 375mph
2025: Chinese scientists at NUDT set a new record reaching 435mph in under two seconds

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