For line start permanent magnet synchronous machines (LSPMSMs), the eddy current loss in the rotor, which has of significant effects on rotor working temperature, may cause thermal demagnetization to permanent magnet. Therefore, this paper addresses an investigation on the temperature distribution in LSPMSM based on a 6 kV, 315 kW prototype with solid starting cage bar. Firstly, the loss distributions, obtained from a 2-D transient electromagnetic field calculation, are determined as the distributed heat source in thermal analyses. Then, the fluid-thermal coupled analyses are performed, by which the temperature distributions in the machine are determined. Meanwhile, the calculated motor performance is verified via comparison with the measured results. The calculation results show that the temperatures in the rotor core and permanent magnets are relatively high. To find the solution for reducing the rotor working temperature, a rotor air slot structure was proposed in this analysis. The theoretical calculation indicates that the rotor working temperature reduction is obvious with the rotor air slot in the machine. Therefore, the operating situation of solid rotor LSPMSM could be improved effectively with the proposed rotor thermal solution, which also benefits the machine reliability and safety.