China starts trial run of first home-grown maglev train: report

Shanghai

CHINA has begun a trial run of its first magnetic levitation train, completely designed and built by local firms, marking a major leap in the technological capability of the country's rail transport sector, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

The so-called maglev, with a maximum speed of 100 kilometres per hour, began ferrying passengers on the 18.5-kilometre-long line in the southern city of Changsha on Friday, Xinhua said, adding that the project cost 4.29 billion yuan (S$896.9 million).