Magnetic Levitation was first proposed in the mid-20th century by German engineers and is based on the principle that speed increases when there is less friction (think hydroplaning). So a maglev train is designed to maintain a magnetic connection with the rail while levitating just barely above it, thus never making the direct contact that creates speed-reducing friction. At speeds of up to 431 kilometers per hour (or about 267 mph), the Shanghai Maglev train, opened in 2004, has “deflecting glass” windows designed to keep the foreground from blurring so much as to cause impairment to the viewer (aka motion sickness).

Riding the Shanghai Maglev train is comfortable and quiet and creates only a slight rolling feeling back and forth on the rails, with a sudden swift jolt when passing an oncoming train on the adjacent track. It’s kind of like watching a movie of the world fleeting by in fast motion as an observer, not a passenger. The speed is displayed on a digital sign inside as the train climbs to top speed in about two or three minutes, hovers there a couple of minutes, then decreases until it reaches the station, traveling about 20 miles in 8 minutes total.

Ride the train with us on this video link, taken by our friend and Oceania Destination Services staff member Marina, as she documents the train’s rise to maximum speed with Dean and me, in wide-mouthed wonder, sitting across from her.