China Plans 600 MPH Train To Rival Elon Musk's Hyperloop (shanghaiist.com)

In addition to relaunching the world's fastest bullet train, China is working on developing technology similar to Elon Musk's Hyperloop, which will allow passengers to travel at speeds up to 4,000 km/h (~2,500 mph). The first stage of the company's plan, however, will be to create a network of these "flying trains" operating at 1,000 km/h (~600 mph). Shanghaiist reports: Earlier today, the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), one of the nation's major space contractors, announced that it had begun research and development into a new, futuristic type of transport which would operate via supersonic "near ground flight." The system would presumably be similar to that of the Hyperloop, proposed earlier this decade by Elon Musk, in which capsules would fly at ultrafast speeds down reduced-pressure tubes, dramatically reducing travel times. Of course, the CASIC isn't looking to reach speeds of 4,000 km/h right away. The first stage of the company's plan will be to create an intercity network of these "flying trains" operating at 1,000 km/h. In the second phase, this network would be extended and the max speed of the pods increased to 2,000 km/h. Finally, in the third stage, the speed would be boosted all the way up to 4,000 km/h -- five times the speed of civil aviation aircraft today.

Comments

This is a dick-size contest

[Tablizer]

Just spend the money on regular trains/trams. No ego contests comparable to having the tallest building. Overly fast trains are too easy to sabotage anyhow. Would you rather be in a train crashing at 600mph or 60mph?

But will people want to ride it?

[Gravis Zero]

From what I've read, people are rightfully afraid of riding on the bullet train. Do you think they'll want to ride on an even faster and less safe version?

Re:But will people want to ride it?

[mattr]

Next time, fact check instead of spreading FUD. The bullet train in Japan is extremely safe. Here is the reality.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
Over the Shinkansen's 50-plus year history, carrying over 10 billion passengers, there have been no passenger fatalities due to derailments or collisions,[19] despite frequent earthquakes and typhoons. Injuries and a single fatality have been caused by doors closing on passengers or their belongings; attendants are employed at platforms to prevent such accidents. There have, however, been suicides by passengers jumping both from and in front of moving trains.[20] On 30 June 2015, a passenger committed suicide on board a Shinkansen train by setting himself on fire, killing another passenger and seriously injuring seven other people.[21]

There have been two derailments of Shinkansen trains in passenger service. The first one occurred during the Chetsu earthquake on 23 October 2004. Eight of ten cars of the Toki No. 325 train on the Jetsu Shinkansen derailed near Nagaoka Station in Nagaoka, Niigata. There were no casualties among the 154 passengers.[22]

Another derailment happened on 2 March 2013 on the Akita Shinkansen when the Komachi No. 25 train derailed in blizzard conditions in Daisen, Akita. No passengers were injured.[23]
In the event of an earthquake, an earthquake detection system can bring the train to a stop very quickly. A new anti-derailment device was installed after detailed analysis of the Jetsu derailment.
-snip-
I believe the safety of these trains are in part due to the absolute professionalism of all people involved with its operation.

They are not going to travel at high speed in a blizzard or hurricaine, and not at all if mafiosos put concrete blocks on the tracks. But there is a lot of safety through high tech, redundancy and humans.

I am not sure this level of professionalism is possible in the U.S. or especially China, considering the current state of their trains, unless a totally new kind of cadre is created. The military mindset might be close, though what is really needed is intelligence, professionalism, empathy, and big bucks for the long haul.

The U.S., China and other countries the size of California and up will gain amazing returns from these trains. The only downsides of which I am aware (and they are not downsides to me) are that they drive down the price of air tickets and also get you used to such comfort that you wonder why you stick yourself in a flying can with miniscule leg room.