Magnetic levitation, or maglev, technology has been around for decades, but is in commercial
use in only a few locations. The technology, powering trains, is mainly a curiosity or tourist attraction,
as is the case with the Shanghai Maglev which began operations in 2004 and connects Shanghai Pudong International
Airport with a station on the outskirts of the city proper. The first line of substantial length, the Chuo Shinkansen,
is planned to come into service in the mid-2020s and will cut the travel time between Tokyo and Nagoya, 350km apart,
by half to just 40 minutes. At least ten other countries are now considering the development of maglev
lines of their own over the next 20 years, including the UK, Germany, the US, China, India, and Malaysia.