Construction on a maglev line connecting Longyang Road and Hongqiao Airport has been given the green light.

A maglev, or magnetic levitation transport, propels train-like vehicles using electromagnetic force.

The project is part of the much-discussed maglev system between Shanghai and Hangzhou. Other parts of the plan - downtown Shanghai to Jiaxing, and Jiaxing to East Hangzhou Station - will not be carried out until after the World Expo 2010, according to an unidentified source from the municipal government, the 21 Century Business Herald reported.

The city started relocating residents and preparing the land for the project in October, 2006.

This marks the greatest progress since the National Development and Reform Commission approved construction on the maglev line between Hangzhou and Shanghai.

The line in downtown Shanghai is part of the city's high-speed public transportation system between two airports, the newspaper said.

The route should minimize traffic congestion, and would have little impact on the lives of people who were being relocated, according to Professor Sun Zhang from Tongji University.

Shanghai has completed a maglev line from the subway station of Longyang Road to the Pudong airport.

The new maglev will start from Longyang Road, crossing the Expo site, through Huangpu River by a tunnel at Yaohua Zhi Road to the western bank of the river.

Then the line heads west, making a north turn at Zhongchun Road until it reaches the Hongqiao Airport.

The airport, already a major transport hub, will be pivotal as a terminal for the future Shanghai-Beijing high-speed railway, the Chinese newspaper quoted professor Sun as saying.

The blueprint of the Shanghai-Hangzhou maglev line is T-shaped, with part going to Hangzhou by a south turn at Zhongchun Road from Shanghai.

"The line from Hongqiao to Pudong airport is more urgent for the time being, and it's practical," Sun said. "The other line can be completed in the future through cooperation with Zhejiang Province.

"This is an extension to the existing maglev. You can call it Phase One of Shanghai-Hangzhou Maglev project, or the Shanghai part of it.

"It's not exactly a high-speed public transportation between airports," he added, suggesting that instead of a municipal construction, this marked the start of the first cross-city maglev line.

But defining it as a "municipal transportation" made it easier to attract funding, Sun said.

Smooth transportation for the World Expo 2010 was the catalyst to launch Shanghai's maglev early.

According to official estimates, more than 70 million people will visit the site from May to October 2010, a major challenge for Shanghai's transport network.

"Overseas experience has shown that rail transportation plays the key role in the expo transportation," Sun said.

"Especially transportation outside of the city center. For example, there should be rail transportation to the expo side from the airport and railway station."

Even after the Expo 2010, a high-speed transportation line was necessary for Shanghai's future, Sun told 21 Century Economy Report. "The world expo is in urgent preparation now. The project can't be delayed any longer," Sun said.

"The work is done as discussion goes on."

(China Daily March 23, 2007)