While businesspeople arriving at Shanghai airport are already using the maglev (magnetic levitation) railway, Germany is preparing to build a similar line to shuttle citizens from Munich's city center to its airport. The €1.85 billion ($2.61 billion) project is finally en route to become a real after assuring the necessary funding, and it should be able to travelers arriving & departing in & from Munich around at nearly 500 km/h when it is complete. Siemens is also participating in the deal. The Munich service might launch end of 2011, but resistance is forming up. The city government wants to bring the railway dispute at law & several political parties want to stop the project via referendum.

(via spiegel.de)