Comments by "Peter Jacobsen" (@pjacobsen1000) on "China Set to Test 1,000km/h Ultra-high-speed-maglev Train" video.

Increasing speed from 350 to 1000 km/h on, for example, the Beijing-Shanghai route will increase ticket prices by around RMB 400/ticket just in added power consumption.
11
@Kiyoone "make a normal maglev". Even with a maglev, such high speeds will mean 8 times the wind resistance (compared to 350 km/h), thus the increase in power consumption.
10
@annatsai7631 Well, it's a good question. The extra RMB 400 is just to cover electricity cost. There's also construction to consider. Now the price is abut RMB 550, I think, so it would go to RMB 1200 at least, probably more. I think I'd still take the slower night train, which I have always preferred. Get on at 8 PM, arrive at 6 AM. No time wasted.
5
Japan is currently building a maglev line, the Chuo Shinkansen from Tokyo to Nagoya, a distance of 286 km. Planned speed: 500 km/h. Estimated cost: 50-65 billion USD, or $175-230 million/km. It seems very expensive. Will they ever get a return on that investment?
4
I'll believe it when I see it. Yes, it's technically possible, but far too expensive to do. Ticket prices would be prohibitive.
3
@wallacekatini3424 "Ever heard of Shanghai maglev"? That was the example he gave, so yes, he heard of it.
2
They used to, but fewer are coming now.
2
@agathalorenzo4224 Please explain this 'lazy tax'. How do you pay it? How much is it? Where does the money come from?
1
@johnwayne-zy5cz That only affects production, not running costs. I'm questioning running costs. To give a simple example: You may be able to make and sell a great pair of running shoes at a cheap price, but they wear down just as quickly through use.
1
@johnwayne-zy5cz That's not going to change the price of electricity. Tripling the speed means 7 times the wind resistance and 7 times the electricity consumption. Electricity already accounts for a fair part of the ticket price.
1
@johnwayne-zy5cz Yes, well, let's wait and see if it gets built at all.
1
@johnwayne-zy5cz If high-speed maglev trains are really so beneficial, one can only wonder why China decided NOT to extend the Shanghai line, and instead went for regular high-speed rail. They could have built a nation-wide maglev network, but they chose not to.
1
@johnwayne-zy5cz I know, I live here and have taken the maglev several times. But that doesn't answer the question: If the maglev is so good for the economy and the country, why didn't they expand it outside Shanghai. It was planned to expand it to Hangzhou for many years, but in the end, the plans were cancelled.
1
@johnwayne-zy5cz So why standard railways and not maglev?
1
@johnwayne-zy5cz You're still not addressing the issue of Maglev. Why did China choose standard rail when they could have chosen maglev?
1
@johnwayne-zy5cz " technology needs time to fully mature". That is true. The Shanghai maglev was fully mature technology in 2003, so that can't be the reason.
1
If the technology is all Chinese, there is nothing to sanction. America can only sanction if the technology of this train comes from America. If it doesn't, there is nothing to be afraid of.
1
@Zakaius What's UM?
1
@AndrewManook From where? Traditionally, Korean students have made up about 30% of all foreign students, Japanese an additional 30%, and the rest from around the world (mostly Europe and North America).
1
@AndrewManook Well, China has provided scholarships for African students for several decades now. When I was a student in Shanghai, we had a good handful of students from a variety of sub-Saharan countries, esp. Equatorial Guinea, Ghana and Angola. But are their numbers going to increase significantly? I guess it's too early to say. As for Asian students, I already wrote that Koreans and Japanese made up 60% of all foreign students in the past. But I think there's a risk that the 'magic' of studying in China is wearing off. Young people go where there is excitement. Is there still excitement in China?
1