Will China be the first country to finalise a plan for a hyperloop?

The line is expected to be completed by 2035 (Photo: AdobeStock)

China is likely to build its first hyperloop train line between Shanghai and Hangzhou, reports South China Morning Post. The 150km-long in-vacuum tunnel maglev system will allow trains to travel up to 1,000km/h. 

The Chinese Academy of Engineering and rail authorities are reported to have commissioned a “comprehensive assessment on the candidate construction sites for ultra-high speed pipeline maglev system demonstration line”, and the two wealthiest cities on the east coast emerged as winners, according to a report published in the Chinese-language journal Railway Standard Design this month.

The South China Morning Post adds that the project team said that they considered several critical factors in the competing hyperloop bids. The economic potential of each line was evaluated according to factors such as population density, economic activity and existing transport infrastructure.

Several candidate lines competed for the hyperloop project in China, including the Beijing-Shijiazhuang, Guangzhou-Shenzhen and Chengdu-Chongqing lines.

If plans go ahead then the line is expected to be operational by 2035 and travel time between Shanghai and Hangzhou will be cut to 15 minutes, compared with three hours by road or 1 hour by high-speed rail.