CHINA'S new medium and low-speed maglev train rolled off the production line yesterday in central China's Hunan Province.

The three-carriage train is designed to run at a maximum speed of 100 kilometers per hour and carry 600 passengers, Xinhua news agency reported, citing Xu Zongxiang, general manager of the manufacturer, Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Co Ltd, a division of China South Locomotive and Rolling Stock Corp.

Xu called the train "environmentally friendly," as it's much quieter than conventional trains, with zero emission.

The manager said the company is in talks with some cities about future operations.

China's only maglev line in commercial operation - the world's first - runs in Shanghai, connecting a Metro station to Pudong International Airport. The maglev, put into service at the end of 2002, tops out at 430 kilometers per hour. The 30-kilometer route takes less than eight minutes.

Maglev is short for magnetic levitation. The train can attain high speeds and is quiet because rather than ride on the rails with wheels, it hovers centimeters above the track through the use of magnets.

According to Xu, the company has minimized the risk of the new maglev train derailing or overturning.

"It's ideal for mass transportation, as it is quiet and environmentally friendly," said Xu. "Its manufacturing cost is about 75 percent of a conventional light-rail train."

Railway transport specialist Liu Youmei said the new train is economical and safe. "It can be used for public transport in populous areas and at scenic spots with fragile environments," Liu told Xinhua.

Liu said China is one of a few countries that have applied maglev technology.

"I believe that the project will be accepted by the public, and the future market is huge," Liu said.

But maglev lines have met with controversy. Shanghai residents protested a plan to expand the maglev route in 2008, concerned about radiation and other issues in densely populated downtown areas. The plan was scratched until news emerged in 2010 that a maglev line connecting Shanghai to Hangzhou in neighboring Zhejiang Province had been approved.

Soon the project saw another twist as construction was suspended last year amid the opening of the Shanghai-Hangzhou high-speed railway line, which opened in October 2010. The public questioned the need and high cost of the maglev.

Xinhua also reported that Beijing is building a maglev route, the Daitai line, which will start at an IT center in Haidian District and end in the capital's western outskirts.

The line is scheduled to begin operations next year.