The planners of the
Shanghai-Hangzhou magnetic levitation (maglev) rail project will
design the proposed route to avoid residential buildings and lessen
the impact of radiation upon people, according to a municipal
government official.
"The maglev project has
basically two environmental effects: noise and magnetic radiation,"
said Zhang Quan, deputy director of the Shanghai Environmental
Bureau.
"Based on many
scientific tests and appraisal of the completed maglev rail, we
found it posed almost no radiation impact beyond three to five
meters," Zhang told reporters at the municipal government's
regularly scheduled press conference on Wednesday.
A maglev train generates
high levels of noise at speeds exceeding 200 kilometers per hour.
"A possible solution for the noise problem may be slowing the train
in downtown areas and speeding it up when it leaves urban
districts," said Zhang.
Zhang said that the
project was still in the planning phase and the final design was
subject to approval.
Approved by the central
government in March 2006, the 175-km Shanghai-Hangzhou maglev rail
project is estimated to cost 35 billion yuan (4.5 billion U.S.
dollars). Trains will be able to reach a speed of 450 km per
hour.
The basic design
specifies that the maglev will run southwest from the existing
maglev station in Shanghai's financial center. It will go to the
Shanghai World Expo venue and cross the Huangpu River, then travel
to the Shanghai Southern Railway Station.
From there, a double
track is planned, with the northern route leading to Hongqiao
International Airport and the southern route linking Jiaxing and
Hangzhou cities by following the Shanghai-Hangzhou
expressway.
Work was suspended in
May after residents along the proposed route raised concerns about
possible health effects. Scientists and various organizations have
also questioned the environmental impact.
(Xinhua News Agency
December 14, 2007)