By Tracy You For Mailonline
Published: 15:15 BST, 23 May 2019 | Updated: 15:38 BST, 23 May 2019
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China already has the world's fastest commercial train system, but the country's engineers want to their passengers to travel even faster.
Beijing has developed and built the first prototype of a magnetic levitation train which engineers claim can travel at a top speed of 600 kilometres per hour (373 miles per hour).
The train boasts twice the speed of the Eurostar fleet and could cover the distance between London and Paris in 49 minutes.
An experimental prototype of the maglev train rolled off the production line today in the eastern city of Qingdao. Engineers are set to run a series of experiment to test its functionality
It could also slash the journey time between Shanghai and Beijing - two of the most important cities in China - from 5.5 hours to 3.5 hours.
Maglev trains use magnets to lift the carriages above the track.
This eliminates the need for wheels and therefore any incidence of friction, providing a faster and quieter service.
Acceleration and deceleration far exceeds that of conventional trains.
And maglev also makes for much smoother journeys.
Right now speeds are limited at up to 400 kilometres (250 miles) per hour due to the excessive air resistance encountered at these speeds.
But vacuum tube designs could allow them to travel over seven times faster in the future.
The prototype rolled off the production line today in the eastern city of Qingdao before being showcased to media, reported Xinhua News Agency.
Engineers are set to run a series of experiment on it to test its functionality and identify areas to improve.
They say the completion of the train means China has achieved a breakthrough in magnetic levitation technology.
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