A two-kilometer test section of a low-vacuum tube, the longest of the existing ones, was built in Shanxi Province. The pressure in it ranges from 0.3 to 0.001 bar, whereas the usual atmospheric pressure at sea level is about 1 bar, Mir24 reports.

The technology is based on the fact that there is no air resistance or wheel contact in a vacuum, which would reduce power and slow down the speed of the vehicle. The second stage of the project involves the expansion of the route by 30 times - up to 60 km. In it, the train will be able to accelerate up to 1000 km / h - faster than an airliner. Theoretically, if such a highway connects Beijing with Datong (346 km), then the trip time will be reduced from the current 4.5 hours to 30 minutes.

However, independent experts doubt that projects to create vacuum train networks will be successful. They are extremely expensive and require the construction of hundreds or even thousands of kilometers of perfectly sealed pipes with constantly running vacuum pumps.