Shanghai gov't seeks public opinion on plans to extend maglev train

SHANGHAI -- Shanghai officials said Monday they were seeking public opinion on plans to extend a magnetic levitation train through the city, after weekend protests by residents worried about potential health risks from the project.

The government had no comment on demonstrations held by hundreds of protesters expressing alarm about possible radiation risks linked to government plans to bring the high-speed train line to their neighborhoods.

Construction of an extension of the train that runs from Shanghai's Pudong International Airport into the city's outskirts reportedly was suspended last year after residents objected.

"City planning and environmental departments are very cautious and take very seriously these concerns," said a statement issued by the city government spokesman's office and posted on the Shanghai Environment Bureau's Web site.

It said the government had set up an email address to gather "residents' proposals and opinions."

Police moved in force to contain the protests Saturday and Sunday by residents who gathered near the city government's main offices in People's Square.

Although peaceful, the protest was unusually large for Shanghai, where authorities tend to keep a tight lid on public dissent.

The protests arose after the government issued revised plans for the project earlier this month that would take the train line through different neighborhoods.

Shanghai's German-developed maglev line uses powerful magnets to suspend the train above a track and propel it at speeds of up to 450 kph (280 mph). It is the world's only commercially operating maglev line.

But the line runs only to a subway stop in a nondescript Shanghai suburb. Plans call for extending it to another airport in Shanghai's western suburbs that serves mainly domestic flights. A separate plan would extend the line to the nearby city of Hangzhou.