Shanghai Maglev Train

Is the Shanghai Maglev worth it?

Worth it once, as a ride — yes. As a time-saver, it depends on where you're staying. The train itself takes about 8 minutes, but you still change to the metro at Longyang Road, so to central Shanghai you save less time than the speed suggests.

It makes sense if your hotel is on Metro Lines 2, 7, 16 or 18, you're travelling light, and you land before 21:00. A group of three or more with big suitcases is usually better off in a taxi or a pre-booked transfer: one door-to-door ride, no stairs, no change of train.

YesGo's take: don't make a special trip out to Longyang Road just for the Maglev — a round trip with transfers eats about an hour. Ride it on the way in from Pudong or on the way out, and you get the world's first commercial high-speed maglev for the price of a coffee.

Shanghai Maglev ticket price and how to pay

A standard single is ¥50. Show a same-day air ticket or boarding pass, or use a Shanghai Public Transportation Card, and it drops to ¥40. A return is ¥80 with the return leg valid for 7 days; the VIP car is ¥100 single or ¥160 return. Children under 1.3 m ride free with an adult. These fares match across several sources but the operator doesn't publish them where we could read them, so they're marked unofficial.

Buy at the ticket office or a machine. Since June 2025 the Maglev gates also take contactless Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB and UnionPay cards, plus e-CNY wallets, according to the Shanghai Municipal Government — make sure small contactless payments without a PIN are enabled on your card or phone.

Paying in China: foreign cards now work at the Maglev gates, but much of daily life runs on Alipay and WeChat Pay — link your card before the trip. Keep some yuan cash as a backup; the ticket office takes it. The ¥40 flight discount is given at the counter against your boarding pass; tapping a card at the gate will most likely charge the full fare.

Timetable: first and last Maglev

The Maglev runs every day. The first train leaves Longyang Road at 06:45 and the airport at 07:02. The last one leaves both ends at about 21:40; some sources give 21:42 from the airport. Trains run every 15 minutes in the daytime and every 20 minutes in the evening.

We couldn't open the operator's own timetable — its website failed a security check. The Pudong district government, Wikipedia and current travel guides agree on these times, but an older city guide gave 21:30 as the last train, so treat them as unofficial. Unofficially, a couple of extra late departures from the airport sometimes run; don't count on them.

Landing after 21:00? Go straight for Metro Line 2 from the airport or a taxi — the metro keeps running after the Maglev stops.

How fast does the Shanghai Maglev go now?

On regular runs, around 300 km/h, covering the line in about 8 minutes 10 seconds, according to English and Chinese Wikipedia and current guides. Until the early 2020s some departures ran at 431 km/h, which cut the trip to 7 minutes 20 seconds.

When exactly the speed came down depends on the source: English Wikipedia and guides say May 2021, Chinese Wikipedia says May 2020. Chinese Wikipedia also claims a handful of runs have been back at 430 km/h since 2024, but we found nothing from the operator to confirm it — plan on 300.

The line's record is 501 km/h, set on a test run without passengers in November 2003. The 600 km/h Chinese maglevs in the news are prototypes on test tracks; none of them carries passengers.

Maglev vs metro vs taxi from Pudong Airport

Take the Maglev if your hotel is on Lines 2, 7, 16 or 18 and you're travelling light. With heavy bags, a group of three or more, or a late landing, a taxi or transfer is easier. On a tight budget with time to spare, Line 2 all the way.

What is the Shanghai Maglev?

It's the world's first commercial high-speed magnetic-levitation line, running since 2004. The technology is German — Transrapid, with trains built by Siemens and ThyssenKrupp and the concrete guideway by Chinese firms. There are no wheels in motion: magnets lift the car about a centimetre off the guideway, and a linear motor built into the track pulls it along and brakes it.

The result is a smooth, quiet surge rather than the rumble of a normal train. It reaches top speed in about two minutes, banks noticeably on the curves, and the car wraps around the guideway beam, so it can't derail in the usual sense.

What to look out for on the ride

• The speed display in each car — the numbers climb fast; sit where you can film it.
• The lean on curves — the car banks noticeably into the bends.
• The view — fields, canals and new Pudong districts from the elevated guideway; both sides are much the same.
• The nose of the train — at Longyang Road you can photograph the cab at the platform.
• A stop on the way into town — two stops along Line 2 from Longyang Road is Shanghai Museum East, by Shanghai Science and Technology Museum station.

How to do it right

• Show your boarding pass at the ticket counter — ¥40 instead of ¥50.
• Flying out within a week? A ¥80 return beats two singles.
• Film the speed display about a minute and a half after departure — that's where it peaks.
• Staying near People's Square or the Bund? The Maglev plus Line 2 saves you less than you'd think over Line 2 alone; a taxi only loses in heavy traffic.
• Heading to the airport? Build in a margin — the last train is around 21:40 and airport security queues can be long.
• Set up Alipay with your own card before you fly; it covers taxis, food and metro QR codes as well.

Questions