China's biggest city, Shanghai, plans to extend the world's only commercially operating high speed magnetic levitation line as part of preparations for hosting the 2010 World Expo, city officials said.
The extension will add eight kilometers (five miles) to the current 30 kilometer (19 mile) Maglev link between Shanghai's Pudong International Airport and the city's eastern edge, chief expo planner Wu Zhiqiang was quoted as saying in Tuesday's official Shanghai Daily newspaper.
The terminus will be in the heart of the expo site along the shore of the Huangpu river just south of the city center, Wu said.
The US$1.2 billion (€900 million) Maglev uses a powerful magnetic field to suspend trains a whisper above the rails. Built with German technology, the trains reach a top speed of 430 kilometers per hour (270 mph) during the eight-minute trip.
While lending cachet to Shanghai's ambitions of becoming a regional business, tourism and technology hub, the Maglev has been a commercial failure since opening this year. Riders complain they have to travel far from downtown to board the train and that its tickets are too expensive.
Operators Shanghai Maglev Transport Development Co. have slashed the ticket prices by one-third to 50 yuan from 75 yuan (US$6 from US$9), boosting passenger numbers slightly.
Wu said Shanghai still hoped to see the Maglev line extended to the city of Hangzhou, 200 kilometers (125 miles) to the southwest in Zhejiang Province.
