BEIJING – China has unveiled the prototype for a high-speed train namedMaglev that can travel on speeds up to 620 kilometres per hour, accordingto state-run media.

The train runs on high-temperature superconducting (HTS) power that makesit look as if the 21-metre (69 feet) train is floating along the magnetisedtracks.

University researchers constructed a track 165 meters long to demonstratehow the train would look and feel in transit, the Xinhua News reported.

Professor He Chuan of Southwest Jiaotong University who worked on theprototype told reporters that the train could be operational in 3-10 years.

He added: “Sichuan has rich rare earth resources, which is very beneficialto our construction of permanent magnet tracks, thus promoting the fasterdevelopment of experiments.”

China already has the world’s largest high-speed rail network, whichstretches over 37,000 kilometers, and the fastest commercially operatingtrain; the Shanghai Maglev that has a top speed of 431 kph and linksShanghai Pudong Airport to Longyang Road in eastern Shanghai.