Shanghai, China Construction began in April 2001 of the first commercial Transrapid system. Despite the fact that the maglev was the first revenue-producing point-to-point high-speed maglev in the world, the system was up and running by 2004. The 30-km line runs between Pudong Shanghai International Airport and the Shanghai Lujiazui financial district. An end-to-end ride takes about eight minutes. A world record for commercial maglev systems was set on November 12, 2003. A five-section train achieved the top speed of 501 km/h (311 mph) while another vehicle passed at 430 km/h on the adjacent track. The Transrapid in Shanghai has a design speed of over 500 km/h (310 mph) and a regular service speed of 430 km/h (267 mph). Shanghai Maglev is the fastest railway system in commercial operation in the world. Other maglev lines are under consideration in China.
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