I think it is just a language problem. I presume you are talking about this train: http://www.smtdc.com/en/gycf3.html which is, according to the web site, still just running on a test track with a max speed of 430 km/H, which is a little bit more than 43mph slower than the Japanese demonstration. It looks like the maiden voyage of that test train was 2002 and it is still not a "production" train, no doubt owing to the challenges of putting a maglev train into production.

But the article wasn't about "maglev trains" in general, it was about a specific one. And so the comparison is moot except to compare how each system has approached the challenges of building and/or productizing such fast trains.

When I read your comments I felt like it was a Chinese boast/Japanese putdown not an actual comment. As I understand it there is some animosity between Japan and China, and with that understanding it felt to me that your comments were simply being mean rather than adding to the conversation.

So given that you have first hand experience with the Shanghai train, do you have any insight into what has kept it from being deployed into a production capacity? Articles like this one in Time (http://content.time.com/time/travel/cityguide/article/0,3148...) portray it as a sort of entertainment ride, like a roller coaster might be in an amusement park.

The Shanghai maglev is 19 miles long. However, it leaves you at an inconvenient spot, and another 20 minute subway ride outside of the center of the city. This is discussed on the Wikipedia page:

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_Maglev_Train

My understanding is that it was suppose to terminate closer to the center but people were afraid of the magnetic fields and protested.

Shanghai authorities are not really known to let popular opinion sway their urban development programs, so I suspect there is a tad bit more to it.