ZAP’S FACTS!
TRAINS

Maglev trains float above their tracks with no wheels at all.

Powerful magnets lift the train a few millimeters off the rail, letting it glide at over 350 mph without ever touching the ground.

2 min read
Maglev trains float above their tracks with no wheels at all.
THE FULL STORY

A maglev train uses no wheels, no axles, and no contact with the track. Instead, powerful electromagnets lift the train a few millimeters into the air and propel it forward by switching magnetic fields along the guideway in front and behind it. With no friction from wheels grinding on rails, maglevs can hit ridiculous speeds.

The fastest maglev ever recorded reached 375 mph during a 2015 test run in Japan - quick enough to cross the United States in around 8 hours if you could lay tracks straight enough. Shanghai has the most famous maglev in everyday service, shuttling passengers from the airport into the city at up to 268 mph.

Maglevs are smooth and quiet because nothing on the train physically touches anything. They also wear out much more slowly, since there are no metal wheels grinding on metal rails. The downside is the cost - laying a maglev track is far more expensive than a normal train line, which is why only a handful of routes exist worldwide.

The Pony Express was killed off by the telegraph after just 18 months.
DID YOU KNOW? The Pony Express was killed off by the telegraph after just 18 months. Riders galloped mail 1,900 miles across the American West in 10 days - then wires made the whole service obsolete almost overnight. 2 min read
Beijing's subway is the longest in the world - over 500 miles of track.
DID YOU KNOW? Beijing's subway is the longest in the world - over 500 miles of track. New York's has the most stations, but Beijing wins on track length, with trains running 24 hours a day in some cities. 2 min read
San Francisco's cable cars are pulled by a moving rope under the street.
DID YOU KNOW? San Francisco's cable cars are pulled by a moving rope under the street. Since 1873, the cars have rolled up the city's steep hills by gripping a cable hidden in a slot between the rails. 2 min read