It has been a long held ambition of mine to take the world’s first commercial Maglev train from Shanghai Airport to Longyang Road Station in the centre of the city.

A chance recently presented itself when we flew via the vibrant Chinese metropolis to and from Tokyo.

A top speed of 430k/mh, though slightly disappointing we only just topped 300 for my journey. This still wizzed us to our destination in just 8-minutes.

Our speed beast was also on the shabby side. Loose fitting seat covers that could do with a wash and a cracked window.

It was still great and a big tick on the bucket list.

As for Shanghai itself, we took the metro four stops to the waterfront. What a circus! Straight out of the Vegas/Skopje template of garishness. Glad I saw it, even if I did find it somewhat vulgar.

Talking of Tokyo & Maglev, Japan’s own first commercial magnetic levitation train is due to come into service in 2027 taking you to Nagoya in the blink of an eye. With a stated top speed of 505k/mh, it promises to be even faster than the Chinese version.

The bucket list has a new entry!