China is hoping to complete a massive rail network that would help the country cut down on pollution in addition to moving folks around on trains that are as fast as jets. To get them going that fast, though, Chinese engineers are considering a special tunnel system.
Even though maglev trains glide along without feeling friction from the track, there's still one big force acting on them and slowing them down: air resistance. As such, Chinese engineers want to do away with that barrier, too, and get the trains moving faster.
So, what's the solution? Well, have the trains travel through tunnels, and then suck all the air out of them. (The tunnels — not the trains.) The vacuum-sealed environment would allow the trains to carry on at unheard of speeds, which could be as fast as 1,000 kilometers per hour (or 620 miles per hour).
The big hurdle, as it usually is, is cost. The special tunnels would make each and every kilometer of track a whopping $3 million more to construct. Considering China is looking to lay down 16,000 kilometers of track, that's a lot of scratch!
Bloomberg, via CrunchGear
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