Most trains run on wheels over tracks. A new train in Xingguo (shing-gwaugh), China, floats under its track about three stories off the ground! The Red Rail sky train is powered by magnets.
Red Rail is the first suspension train to rely on magnetic levitation, or maglev. The train and its track contain superstrong magnets. One set of magnets repels, or pushes away, the train’s arm, lifting it off the track. Other magnets attract and repel the train, pulling and pushing it along.
Traditional trains are slowed by friction created by the wheels rubbing against the track. Maglev trains have less friction, so they can reach their destinations using less energy. When engineers tested Red Rail in August 2022, it traveled at 80 kilometers (50 miles) per hour. They are working to get the train to move faster.