Shanghai plans to extend the world's only commercially operating high-speed magnetic levitation (Maglev) line as part of preparations for hosting the 2010 World Expo.

That will add eight kilometres to the current 30-kilometre Maglev link between Pudong International Airport and the city's eastern edge, chief Expo planner Wu Zhiqiang was quoted as saying in Tuesday's Shanghai Daily.

The terminus will be in the heart of the Expo site along the shore of the Huangpu river just south of the city centre, he said.

The mainland plans a sprawling complex of gardens, canals, halls and pavilions for the Expo grounds, many of them temporary structures. City officials anticipate 70-80 million visitors during the event's six-month duration.

The US$1.2 billion (HK$9.36 billion) Maglev uses a powerful magnetic field to suspend trains slightly above the rails. Built with German technology, trains reach a speed of 430km per hour during the eight-minute trip.

Despite lending cachet to Shanghai's ambitions of becoming a regional business, tourism and technology hub, the Maglev has been a commercial failure since opening this year. Riders complain they have to travel far from downtown to board the train and that its tickets are too expensive.

Operator Shanghai Maglev Transport Development has slashed the ticket prices by one-third to 50 yuan (HK$47) from 75 yuan, boosting passenger numbers slightly. Wu said Shanghai still hopes to see the Maglev line extended to the city of Hangzhou, 200km to the southwest in Zhejiang province.