Maglev
The world's first commercial maglev system was a low-speed maglev shuttle that ran between the airport terminal of Birmingham International Airport and the nearby Birmingham International railway station between 1984 and 1995. Its track length was , and trains levitated at an altitude of , levitated by electromagnets, and propelled with linear induction motors. It operated for 11 years and was initially very popular with passengers, but obsolescence problems with the electronic systems made it progressively unreliable as years passed, leading to its closure in 1995. One of the original cars is now on display at Railworld in Peterborough, together with the RTV31 hover train vehicle. Another is on display at the National Railway Museum in York.
Maglev
An extension of the line could run to Chiang Kai Shek Airport, and possibly on down the island, passing through major population centres, which the High Speed Rail must avoid. The minimal vibration of maglev would also be suitable to provide access Hsinchu Science Park, where sensitive silicon foundries are located. In the other direction, connection to the Tansui Line and to High Speed ferries at Tansui would provide overnight travel to Shanghai and Nagasaki, and to Busan or Mokpo in South Korea, thus interconnecting the public transport systems of four countries, with great savings in fossil fuel consumption compared to flight.