Shanghai Maglev Demonstration Line: Construction, Trial Service and National Acceptance

The Shanghai maglev demonstration line runs from Longyang Road station on Metro Line 2 to Pudong International Airport. Its main route is about 30 kilometres long, with two elevated tracks and no intermediate passenger stations. The early design specified a maximum operating speed of 430 kilometres per hour and a journey of about eight minutes. Passengers travel from the city by metro to Longyang Road, then change to the maglev for the airport.

The project also supported the comparison of high-speed ground transport technologies. In a 2002 engineering paper, Xiangming Wu explained that China’s consideration of high-speed passenger options required a working commercial line to test maglev’s availability, safety and economic performance. The airport line provided a demonstration setting of limited scale that could nevertheless carry passengers continuously.

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Six companies, including Shanghai Shentong Group, established Shanghai Maglev Transportation Development Co., Ltd. to construct and operate the project. The company worked with a German consortium of Siemens, ThyssenKrupp and Transrapid International. Equipment supply and service contracts were signed in January 2001, and construction formally began that March.

The Chinese side designed and built the route and civil works and installed equipment; the German side supplied vehicles, operating control, traction power systems and technical services. Construction encompassed stations, traction substations, a control centre, a maintenance centre and a guideway-beam production base. Civil contractors and equipment engineers had to coordinate their schedules before the complete system could be commissioned.

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Electromagnetic forces suspend and guide the train, while the guideway also carries the stator components of the linear motor. Its beams therefore serve both as load-bearing structures and as precise mounting references for the motor. Manufacturing, installation and deformation under load all require close control. Shanghai’s soft ground, temperature changes and long-term concrete deformation prompted the team to adapt designs and construction methods to local conditions.

The team improved prestressing procedures and adopted a method of first manufacturing and installing single-span beams, then joining them with special connections. This addressed both transport and installation needs and deformation in service. Adjustable bearings corrected deviations caused by uneven settlement of adjacent supports. Shenyang Zhongjie Friendship Machine Tool Factory also helped develop dedicated numerically controlled machining equipment for accurately installing the beams’ functional components.

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The first demonstration run on 31 December 2002 presented the project to the public. Commissioning required for commercial operation continued afterwards. Guobin Lin and Xiongwei Sheng’s technical retrospective records single-track trial running in early 2003, a shift to two-track return journeys that September, and subsequent testing and acceptance.

Scheduled commercial services began in 2004. In Chinese project-management terminology, this period remained commercial trial operation. On 25–26 April 2006, an acceptance committee involving the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai municipal authorities and other participants completed national project acceptance, following safety assessment, preliminary acceptance and post-project evaluation. Shanghai government spokesperson Jiao Yang subsequently stated that the line had moved from trial to formal operation.

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Transrapid International’s US office reported in 2007 that two five-car trains handled regular services, with another held in reserve; maintenance was mainly scheduled at night. The operator directly managed administration and train movements, while specialist companies handled some system maintenance and station and onboard services. High-speed running depended on the coordinated upkeep of vehicles, power supplies, controls and precision guideways.

The national acceptance press conference reported that, by the end of March 2006, the line had carried 6.23 million passengers and safely travelled more than 2.4 million kilometres. Passenger totals, accumulated distance and performance through different weather conditions provided evidence for evaluating its everyday transport service.

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The maglev shortened the ride between Longyang Road and Pudong Airport, while a passenger’s complete journey also included travel through the city, waiting and transfers. The supplier’s 2007 report acknowledged that the city terminus did not directly reach the centre, limiting the line’s transport role. It also noted that high-speed operation over a short distance made energy expenditure a substantial part of the operating budget.

The report stated that ticket revenue in 2005 and 2006 could cover the daily operating budget, referring to train operation, maintenance and service expenditure. Routes towards Hangzhou and other urban connections were then still under study. The demonstration line established an airport passenger service, guideway engineering methods adapted to local conditions, and practical experience in operating and maintaining a high-speed maglev system.

References: [3] [4] [1]