Transrapid to enter talks with China on maglev train

German Transrapid, the consortium consisting of Siemens AG and ThyssenKrupp AG, planned to start talks with China in the fall, in a bid to sell its high-speed maglev train technology for the construction of the 200 kilometers long extension of an existing magnetic-levitation train route at Shanghai, sources reported.

The track has got approval from the provincial government.

Authorities have given the green light to begin construction of maglev train route in Zhejiang Province, which scheduled to start in 2010 and be completed by 2015 at a cost of RMB 22 billion (US$3.14 billion).

Trains on the maglev track are expected to hit speeds of 450km/h, which means a one-way Shanghai-Hangzhou trip would be shortened to 30 minutes.

German Transrapid developed the initial Shanghai maglev line, which runs between the airport and the city center and began operational in 2003.