The fastest high-speed train travels at a speed of 267mph and it’s the only one of its kind in the world. Recently, one woman decided to ride it just to see how rapid it was
The world’s fastest train is no joke as it travels at a top speed of 267mph (430km/h). It’s the world’s only high-speed commercial maglev line which runs between a city to the airport. Now one woman decided to board the rapid train – and was left amazed.
TikTok user Silvana, who boasts over 1,400 followers, had been travelling across China and during her 10-hour layover in Shanghai was able to hop on the train. Her caption read: “Took the world’s fastest train during my 10hr layover in Shanghai! This is the Maglev train in Shanghai China which stands for Mag (magnetic) & lev (levitation). It hovers above the train tracks and it can go up to 431 km/hr.”
This magnetic levitation (maglev) allows the train to “fly” above the tracks, resulting in a smooth, friction-free ride. It connects Shanghai’s Pudong airport to the city centre.
Silvana continued: “I wanted to explore Shanghai City for a bit and this seemed to be the fastest way to get there from the airport haha.
“It cost me 80 Yuan / €10,50 for a return ticket and it got me to Long Yang Rd. Station in under 8 minutes.
“From here I just took another metro ride for only 4 Yuan / €0,50 and I was right in the centre of Shanghai City!
“Such a crazy experience.”
Though it can reach a top speed of 267mph (430km/h), its current commercial operating speed is actually 186mph (300km/h).
The 30 km line, utilising German Transrapid technology, opened in 2006, offering a fast and efficient, albeit costly, airport transfer.
Silvana, who calls herself a backpacker on her TikTok, was currently travelling across Asia when she decided to take the train.
Since she shared it, one of her followers was left starstruck by her experience as the post scooped up dozens of likes and comments.
Meanwhile, one user kicked off a Reddit thread by asking people who have travelled on the world’s fastest train.
One said: “Incredibly smooth. Imagine flying but with no turbulence.
“Shame it’s basically a glorified gadget bahn with less riders than the actual metro lines to the airport.
“I can’t say it’s that much of an improvement over regular high speed rail though.”
Another added: “I was just there for the first time last month. It’s super smooth! You can feel a bit of tilt on the curves, in a fun way. Otherwise it felt similar to conventional HSR.”