SHANGHAI MAGLEV TRAIN REVIEW - THE FASTEST TRAIN IN THE
WORLD AT 431KM/H (268MPH)
at 431km/h (268mph)
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views•Jun 26, 2019
DAVIDSBEENHERE
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In April
of 2019, I spent ten incredible days exploring the cities of Shanghai, Suzhou,
and Hangzhou in China. It was my second trip to China in four years – I had
first traveled to the country in 2015 with my dad. During that trip, I explored
Shanghai, Beijing, and Xi’an. I couldn’t wait to explore more of Shanghai and
check out Suzhou and Hangzhou for the very first time!
Follow Nea
on Instagram: www.instagram.com/nihaonea
After
arriving in China following nearly 24 hours of travel from Miami, I still needed
to get into the city of Shanghai. The fastest way to do that is to take the
Shanghai Maglev, which is the fastest train in the world and travels at speeds
up to 268 miles per hour! It operates by magnetic levitation and is the first
and only commercially operated Maglev train in the world. It’s something you
must experience when you visit Shanghai!
This train
only takes 8 minutes to get from the airport to Shanghai. It’s been running for
almost 20 years. I saw a similar Maglev train in development during my trip to
Japan in January of 2019. I was so excited to ride it!
The train
would take me to a station in the center of Shanghai, where you can catch the
metro line or buses. The ticket costs 50 Yen for regular economy and 100 Yen
for VIP. There’s a new train every 15-20 minutes, so you never have to wait
long for one.
I took VIP
and was alone in the car. There’s a monitor on the ceiling that shows you how
fast you’re going. I kept watching the numbers go up as we picked up speed and
soon the buildings and scenery outside were zipping by! This Maglev train is so
much quieter than the bullet train I rode in Japan. All I could hear was a
gentle hiss!
Once I
made it to the station, I’d have to get an Uber or use the metro or bus, but
that was okay because this experience was worth it! It’s super luxurious and
there are no servers because the ride is so short.
I could
actually feel the car swaying as the train turned. I had never felt anything
like it in my life. You definitely need to stay seated while the Maglev train
is moving. Otherwise, you could hurt yourself!
We maxed
out at about 401 km/hour, or about 249 miles per hour. I wasn’t sure why we
never reached the peak speed, but it was fine. Something really great about the
Maglev is that it’s super easy to find. After you go through Immigration, you
see Maglev signs everywhere that point you in the right direction, so just
follow them and you’ll find a ticket counter, where you pay, and then you go
down to the platform!
And just
like that, my first Maglev ride was at an end! I couldn’t wait for Japan to get
this train, which would cut the travel time from Tokyo to Osaka to just 67
minutes.
From
there, I wanted to catch an Uber to my apartment in People’s Square, which is
one of the main squares in Shanghai. I’m familiar with the area and it only
cost me $30 per night. But unfortunately, there is no Uber, so I had to catch a
taxi instead.
I had to
meet up with a fan from Sweden at a local camera mall to buy a new lens because
my lens and camera broke the previous day. The traffic was really bad and I
only had an hour and a half to get to the store. We finally got there after an
hour. Luckily I knew they had the lens I needed because my friend Nea from
Stockholm told me it was there!
I got my
lens at the camera mall! The lens made such a huge difference! From there, Nea
and I took a taxi and she told me the street food in Shanghai is gone due to
sanitary concerns. But there are still hole-in-the-wall eateries.
I arrived
in People’s Square and had to search to find my Airbnb. I finally found it and
headed up to the top level to get to my tiny studio apartment. It had a super
low ceiling and was hard to get to with the luggage! But it was everything I
needed: a place to leave my stuff and a place to sleep at night, so it was
perfect for me!
What an
adventure! I hope you enjoyed coming along on my first Maglev train ride and my
journey through Shanghai! If you did, please give it a thumbs up and leave me a
comment. Also, please subscribe to my channel so you don’t miss any of my
upcoming travel/food content!
Grateful
thanks to DAVIDSBEENHERE and YouTube.
