Shanghai Maglev Train: Speed, Route, Tickets & Tips (2026)

The Shanghai Maglev is the only commercial high-speed maglev train running anywhere on Earth. It floats (literally, no wheels) between Pudong Airport (PVG) and Longyang Road metro station, covering 30 km (19 mi) in about 8 minutes. Top speed today: 300 km/h (186 mph). A standard ticket costs ¥50 ($7), or ¥40 ($5.50) if you show a same-day flight ticket. It's wild, it's unique, and it doesn't actually go downtown. Here's everything you need before you ride.

I've ridden it five or six times. The first time, I was buzzing for the 431 km/h top speed I'd read about for years. The train topped out at 301 km/h. I squinted at the speedometer like it owed me money. They changed the rules in 2021 and nobody told the old blogs. So this is the real 2026 version: current speed, current prices, honest advice.

What you'll get in 10 minutes:

• Exact speed, route, schedule, and fares

• Whether the maglev beats the metro, taxi, or Didi from PVG

• The best seat for filming and the VIP trap to skip

• Why Germans built it and why it only runs in Shanghai

What Is the Shanghai Maglev (And Why It's the Only One)

The Shanghai Maglev Train (上海磁悬浮) is a magnetically levitated high-speed train. No wheels. No contact with the track. It hovers about 10 mm above an electromagnetic guideway, pushed forward by alternating magnetic fields in the track. No friction. Just an eerie silence and a firm push when it accelerates.

It opened for previews on December 31, 2002, with regular revenue service from October 10, 2003. The technology is Transrapid SMT, built by Germany's ThyssenKrupp and Siemens. That's why this page also ranks for the German keyword magnetschwebebahn shanghai, the German word for maglev.

Here's the wild part: the maglev China Shanghai operates is the only commercial high-speed maglev in the world. Japan's Chuo Shinkansen is still under construction. South Korea has a low-speed airport people-mover. Germany, where the tech came from? Nothing. Munich's Transrapid airport line was cancelled in 2008 after the budget tripled past €3 billion. The Emsland test track closed in 2011. Shanghai is the only place you can buy a ticket and ride one.

The Route: PVG to Longyang Road (Not Downtown)

The line runs one direction only, east-west, between two stations:

• Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG). The "Maglev Station" is above ground, between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. Follow the big "Maglev" signs after you clear immigration and baggage claim. About a 4-minute walk from either terminal.

• Longyang Road Station (龙阳路站). In the Pudong district, connected to Shanghai Metro Lines 2, 7, 16, and 18. This is where most travelers catch Line 2 to continue into the city.

Track length: 29.863 km (about 18.6 mi), all elevated. You can see it from the highway between PVG and downtown. A long concrete viaduct that looks like an airport tram line on steroids.

Quick heads up: The MyChinaGuide app has an offline Shanghai transit map with PVG terminal layouts, the exact walk from baggage claim to the Maglev Station, and a Mandarin phrase card for the ticket counter. Works without a SIM. Download free on iOS or Android.

Now the big catch: Longyang Road is not downtown Shanghai. It's in the middle of Pudong, 8-10 km from The Bund. I once watched a couple step off at Longyang, look around at the elevated platform, and ask a staff member where Nanjing Road was. They were a 30-minute metro ride away. Understand this now: the maglev is PVG-to-edge-of-Pudong, not PVG-to-your-hotel.

Shanghai Maglev Speed and Schedule

Here's where older blogs get it wrong. The Shanghai Maglev speed story has two parts:

Historical top speed (2004 to May 2021): 431 km/h (268 mph), held for about 50 seconds mid-route. Whole trip: 7 minutes 20 seconds. The speedometer display at the end of each car counted up like a sports car. It was the fastest scheduled train in the world.

Current top speed (since May 2021): 300 km/h (186 mph). All day. No peak hours, no off-peak. The trip now takes about 8 minutes 10 seconds. Operator SMTDC dropped the cruising speed to cut track wear and save energy. The 431 km/h service hasn't come back and there's no public plan to resume it.

If a blog tells you the maglev still hits 431 during morning peak, they're copying 2019 content. It doesn't.

Operating hours (2026):

• First train: 06:45 from both stations

• Last regular train: 21:42 from both stations

• Late trains: Two extras from PVG at 22:15 and 22:40 (one-way only)

• Frequency: Every 15 to 20 minutes

Per Wikipedia's Shanghai maglev page, the 431 km/h cruising speed was discontinued in May 2021 and the line has operated at 300 km/h since.

Honestly? 300 km/h is still fast enough to feel fast. You'll pass a parallel expressway where the cars look parked. When a regular G-train runs alongside on the adjacent high-speed line, the maglev slowly leaves it behind. The 431 version was cooler. The 300 version is still a novelty ride that no other city can offer.

Shanghai Maglev Fare and How to Buy Tickets

The Shanghai Maglev fare structure is simple and unchanged for years:

Real talk on VIP: skip it. I tried it once. Seats are slightly fluffier. Speedometer is at the front of your car instead of the back. Same scenery, same speed, ¥50 more for legroom you already had.

How to buy tickets:

1. At PVG. Ticket counter at the Maglev Station. Cash and Alipay/WeChat Pay work. Foreign credit cards, mostly no.

2. At Longyang Road. Counter and self-serve machines inside the station.

3. Online. Klook and Trip.com offer combo passes (maglev + metro day pass) around ¥85-95 ($12-13). Pick up with passport or QR code.

4. With your flight ticket. Show your boarding pass, mobile screenshot, or printed itinerary for the ¥40 ($5.50) rate. Same calendar day only.

If Alipay is giving you trouble, our guide on using credit cards and mobile pay in China walks through setup. Do it before you land.

Is the Shanghai Maglev Worth It? (Comparison)

The question I get from every first-timer: should I take the maglev or just grab a Didi? Depends on whether you care about the experience or just want to get to your hotel. Here's the math.

PVG to The Bund, all options compared (2026):

Two things jump out. The Maglev + Metro combo is only ¥55 ($8), barely more than the metro alone. And it's faster than the metro by about 30 minutes, roughly the same speed as a Didi in medium traffic.

Honest take: solo or couple with carry-ons, take the maglev. You save ¥130+ ($18+) vs a Didi and the ride itself is memorable. Family of four with six suitcases, book a Didi. Dragging luggage through a metro transfer is misery. Your ¥200 ($28) buys sanity.

If you want to nerd out on trains that brought you here from another city, our China high-speed rail guide covers the G-trains. Those drop you at Hongqiao, a different beast from the maglev.

The 8-Minute Experience: Best Seat and Filming Tips

Boarding is airport-style. Show your ticket, pass a small security check, wait at the platform. The train glides in silently. It doesn't clack like a regular rail train. It just shows up. Hiss.

Doors close with a soft chime. Then you lurch forward. Not lurch, exactly. Surge. It's more like a plane on takeoff roll than a train leaving a station. By the time you've looked out the window to orient yourself, the outside world is already moving weird.

Best seat for filming:

• PVG to Longyang Road: sit on the right side. You'll pass a parallel high-speed line where you can film G-trains crawling past.

• Longyang Road to PVG: sit on the left side. Same view, other direction.

• Best speedometer shot: walk to the front of your car. The digital display sits above the forward bulkhead. Clean shot without other passengers in frame.

What to listen for: not much. That's the point. No rail clacking. No wheel squeal. Just a soft hum and the occasional whoosh as a support column flicks past. Your ears pop once around the 3-minute mark when the train hits cruising speed.

Connecting to Downtown Shanghai From Longyang Road

OK so you stepped off at Longyang Road. Now what. You're in Pudong, not downtown, and Google Maps probably isn't working without a VPN.

Your options:

• Metro Line 2 toward People's Square / Nanjing Road East. ¥5 ($0.70), every 3 minutes, ~25 min to The Bund. Buy a token at the machine or tap the Alipay metro QR if you have it set up.

• Metro Line 7. For Jing'an Temple, transfer at Jing'an Temple Station.

• Didi from Longyang Road. ¥50-70 ($7-10) to The Bund, 20-30 min in traffic. Open the Didi app or Alipay's ride-hail widget, set pickup to the Longyang Road metro taxi stand.

• Taxi rank. Outside Exit 4. Use the official queue. Don't listen to drivers approaching you on the platform. They are scams.

If your hotel is near People's Square, Xintiandi, Jing'an Temple, or Lujiazui, Metro Line 2 is fine and usually faster than a Didi in rush hour. If you're in the French Concession or south of Huaihai Road, take a Didi. The metro transfer adds 20 minutes.

The German Transrapid Story (Why Only Shanghai)

Short version: Germans built this train, couldn't figure out where to run it at home, and sold it to Shanghai.

Transrapid started in Germany in the late 1960s. A test track opened in Emsland in 1983. By the early 1990s, the tech was ready for commercial deployment. The problem: Germany already had the ICE (InterCityExpress) high-speed network, politicians resisted the budget, and the closest domestic project (a 40 km Munich Airport link) was cancelled in March 2008 after its cost estimate ballooned from €1.85 billion to over €3 billion.

In September 2006, a Transrapid train on the Emsland test track collided with a maintenance vehicle, killing 23 people. Public confidence died with them. The Emsland test track closed in 2011.

Meanwhile in 2000, China signed with ThyssenKrupp and Siemens to build the 30 km line from PVG to Longyang Road. Construction took two years. The line opened for previews on December 31, 2002, with then-Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and then-Premier Zhu Rongji onboard. Total cost: about ¥10 billion (US$1.33 billion).

So when the platform sign at PVG reads "磁悬浮", or a German tourist says "Magnetschwebebahn", you're looking at the last working example of a technology that Germany invented, Germany rejected, and Shanghai bought. Per Wikipedia's Transrapid entry, no other city has since ordered one.

Shanghai Maglev FAQ

How fast is the Shanghai Maglev now?

The Shanghai Maglev speed is currently 300 km/h (186 mph), all day, with no peak-hour variation. Prior to May 2021, it ran at 431 km/h (268 mph) for about 50 seconds per trip. That service was discontinued to save energy and reduce track wear.

How long does the Shanghai Maglev take?

About 8 minutes 10 seconds at the current 300 km/h cruising speed for the 30 km (19 mi) trip. The historical 431 km/h service completed the trip in 7 minutes 20 seconds.

How much does the Shanghai Maglev cost in 2026?

¥50 ($7) economy, ¥100 ($14) VIP for a one-way trip. Round-trip is ¥80 / ¥160. Show a same-day flight ticket at the counter and economy drops to ¥40 ($5.50). Children under 1.2 m ride free with a paying adult.

Where does the Shanghai Maglev go?

The Shanghai Maglev route runs from Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) to Longyang Road metro station in Pudong, a 30 km (19 mi) one-way track. Longyang Road connects to Shanghai Metro Lines 2, 7, 16, and 18 for the rest of your trip into downtown.

Does the Shanghai Maglev go to The Bund or downtown directly?

No. Longyang Road station is still 8-10 km from The Bund, about a 25-30 minute ride on Metro Line 2. For door-to-door from PVG to a downtown hotel, a Didi at ¥180-250 ($25-35) is often more convenient than the maglev + metro transfer.

Is the Shanghai Maglev worth it for tourists?

Yes, but as an experience, not a transport shortcut. For ¥50 ($7), you're riding the only commercial high-speed maglev on Earth. The ride itself is 8 minutes of genuine novelty. Families with lots of luggage are often better off in a Didi. Solo travelers and couples should ride it at least once.

Does the Shanghai Maglev go to Hongqiao Airport?

No. The Shanghai Maglev only serves Pudong (PVG). For Hongqiao Airport (SHA) or Hongqiao Railway Station, take Metro Line 2 directly. Old proposals to extend the maglev to Hongqiao exist, but nothing has been built.

The MyChinaGuide App for Shanghai Transit

The MyChinaGuide app includes an offline Shanghai transit map with the Maglev Station walk from PVG baggage claim, Line 2 transfer directions at Longyang Road, Mandarin phrase cards for the ticket counter, and Alipay setup walkthroughs. Everything you need for the airport-to-hotel run, even if your eSIM hasn't activated yet. Download free on iOS or Android.

For more rail context, check our China high-speed rail map and the Beijing to Shanghai train vs flight guide. And if you're still figuring out when to go, the best time to visit China breakdown has month-by-month weather notes.

The Shanghai Maglev is slower than it used to be, doesn't go where you actually sleep, and the VIP cabin is a rip-off. It's also the only one of its kind on the planet, costs less than a sandwich at SFO, and you can ride it for 8 minutes and say you did. Worth the ¥50.