The positiv decision to realize the Shanghai-project is the breakthrough for this innovative
railway technology all over the world. This application is a link of almost 19 miles between the
international airport of Shanghai and its financial center in Lujiazui.
2001 January, 23: In China, a contract is concluded between the city of Shanghai and the
industrial consortium consisting of Siemens, ThyssenKrupp, and Transrapid International to
realize the Shanghai airport link.
2001 March, 1: Start of construction
2002 August, 9: The first three sections of the Transrapid vehicle for China are arriving in
Shanghai
2002 September, 5: The last guideway girders are put in place.
2002 September,11: Shanghai tried to put its three carriages of magnetic levitation (maglev)
train on track for adjustment on the evening of September 11. During one hour the train started
and stopped three times and passed a distance about 100 meters.
2002 November, 29: Within the internal commissioning process the
maglev train has now travelled the entire route for the first time and reached a
speed of 405 km/h. The train already reached a speed of 443 km/h
( 275 mph) during an earlier test run.
2002 December, 31: Maiden trip of the Transrapid Maglev Train on
its first commercially operated route worldwide from Shanghais Long Yang
Road to the Pudong International Airport.
2003 February: Within the internal commissioning process, more than 40,000
people have rode on the train.
2003 March, 5: A Chinese real-estate company won the auction to name the
world's first commercial magnetic levitation train for its first two years
of operation and agreed to pay US$2.5 million – the vehicle’s name will be
Xin Hu (new sea).
2003 April, 1: First test runs with the five section train at an operating
speed of 430 km/h.
2003 May: Multiple Train Operation begins.
2003 July, 14: During the commissioning phase of the Shanghai Transrapid a world record for
commercial Maglev systems was set up as two trains each travelling at 430
km/h passed each other on adjacent tracks.
2003 August, 18: Regular trials traffic with three units begins.
2003 November, 12: With 501 km/h (311 mph) the Shanghai Transrapid sets up a
new world record for commercial railway systems.
2003 December: Already before the start of the commercial operation in Shanghai,
several hundreds of thousands visitors have glided at a speed of 430
km/h from Longyang Road station to Pudong airport and back during the
weekends.
2003 December, 29: Commercial operation starts.
2004 July, 3: SMTDC welcomes its one-millionth passenger.
December 2005: Five million passengers carried so far. Transrapid in Shanghai now in operation 14 hours a day
October 2006: In Shanghai, 8 million passengers have traveled on the Transrapid.
