The Fastest Train in The World and How It Works!

Video Description

The Transrapid Maglev train was once hailed as the future of travel. It has no wheels, floats on magnets, and is capable of reaching speeds up to 430 km/h (and soon 800 km/h in China!). But while the technology promised energy efficiency and superior speed, it was abandoned in its country of origin. So, how does the Maglev train actually work, and why are countries like China now investing billions into it? We break down the science, the history, and the shocking economics. Is China's Maglev truly a success story, or is it a $12 billion white elephant with low demand? This video was created by my editorial team. Responsible from the editorial team: Lukas Laroche, Tabea Desch, Maximilian Latz, Jacob Beautemps; Editing: Romy Gruetter, Neo Sanjuan Thiele, Aron Kamenz & Sören Rensch. Sources: Source 2: https://www.ndr.de/geschichte/chronologie/Vor-30-Jahren-Transrapid-Hamburg-Berlin-geplant,transrapid323.html Source 3: https://www.ndr.de/geschichte/schauplaetze/Transrapid-Unglueck-2006-Bei-Testfahrt-sterben-23-Menschen,transrapidunglueck2.html Source 4: https://www.leifiphysik.de/elektrizitaetslehre/stromwirkungen/ausblick/magnetschwebebahn-transrapid Source 5: https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/asien/magnetschwebebahn-china-transrapid-100.html Source 6: https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-06-18/China-breaks-record-with-maglev-train-hitting-650-km-h-in-7-seconds-1EiKPFJGJH2/p.html Source 7: https://asiatimes.com/2025/06/chinas-fast-growing-high-speed-railway-network-faces-reality/ Source 8: https://www.deutschlandatlas.bund.de/DE/Karten/Wie-wir-uns-bewegen/100-Pendlerdistanzen-Pendlerverflechtungen.html Source 9: https://www.maglev.ir/eng/documents/papers/conferences/maglev2008/topic7/IMT_CP_M2008_T7_4.pdf Source 10: https://dserver.bundestag.de/btd/21/005/2100500.pdf Source 11: https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/13626/umfrage/reisende-im-schienenpersonenverkehr-der-db-ag/ Source 12: https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Gesellschaft-Umwelt/Bevoelkerung/Bevoelkerungsstand/_inhalt.html Source 13: https://www.destatis.de/DE/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/2025/05/PD25_N027_13.html Source 14: https://www.itm.uni-stuttgart.de/forschung/maglev/ Source 15: https://www.uni-muenster.de/imperia/md/content/fachbereich_physik/didaktik_physik/publikationen/magnetschnellbahn_transrapid.pdf Source 16: https://www.uni-muenster.de/imperia/md/content/fachbereich_physik/didaktik_physik/publikationen/magnetschnellbahn_transrapid.pdf Source 19: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rtbm.2022.100824 Source 20: https://www.bahn.de/service/ueber-uns/zugtypen/ice-3 Source 21: https://www.deutschebahn.com/de/presse/pressestart_zentrales_uebersicht/ICE-Testzug-faehrt-bis-zu-405-0-km-h-und-sammelt-wichtige-Erkenntnisse-fuer-den-Hochgeschwindigkeitsverkehr-13428394 Source 22: https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/1293705 Source 23: https://www.spektrum.de/news/magnetschwebebahnen-laermen-unangenehmer-als-ein-intercity/714618 Source 24: https://www.zeit.de/2025/08/magnetschnellbahn-berlin-hamburg-transrapid-zug-geschichte Source 25: https://www.bahn.de/service/ueber-uns/zugtypen/ice-1 Source 26: https://www.zeit.de/mobilitaet/2022-04/magnetschwebebahn-transrapid-zukunftstechnologie-japan Source 27: https://asiatimes.com/2025/07/china-accelerates-its-maglev-train-to-catch-up-with-japan/ Source 28: https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3317905/buckle-china-unveils-maglev-marvel-redefining-future-high-speed-rail Source 29: https://www.ecb.europa.eu/stats/policy_and_exchange_rates/euro_reference_exchange_rates/html/eurofxref-graph-cny.en.html Source 30: https://www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de/japan-magnetbahn-maglev-tokio-osaka-100.html Source 31: https://www.sueddeutsche.de/wirtschaft/magnetschwebebahn-berlin-hyperloop-kernfusion-li.3301856?reduced=true Source 32: https://publications.tno.nl/publication/34612374/kBXodg/vos-2004-annoyance.pdf Source 33: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342184466_Ultra_high-speed_ground_transportation_systems_Current_Status_and_a_vision_for_the_future Source 34: https://www.thyssenkrupp-transrapid.com/de/unsere-story/der-transrapid Source 35: https://www.destatis.de/Europa/DE/Thema/Basistabelle/Bevoelkerung.html Source 36: https://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/de/politik-und-verwaltung/statistik-und-daten/daten/bevoelkerung.html Source 37: https://www.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/unternehmen/umweltbedenken-bremsen-die-plaene-fuer-japans-500-stundenkilometer-schnellzug-19649313.html