Tokyo – A Japanese maglev that is the fastest passenger train in the world has broken its own speed record.
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Operator JR Central said the train reached 603 kilometers per hour (375 miles per hour) in a test run on Tuesday, surpassing its previous record of 361 mph (581 kph) set in 2003. The train traveled for just over a mile (1.8 kilometers) at a speed exceeding 600 kph (373 mph).
Japan’s high-speed rail services are among the most advanced in the world, with hundreds of trains running each day with minimal delays. However, unlike regular shinkansen or “bullet trains” that run on steel rails, magnetic levitation trains hover above rails, suspended by powerful magnets.
The Maglev Test Line, near Mount Fuji about 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Tokyo, is developing technology for use on a future 410-kilometer (250-mile) link that will reduce travel time between Tokyo and Osaka to just over an hour. The current minimum by bullet train is nearly three hours.
The maglev trains, begun as a project of Japan Airlines and the national railways with government support, have undergone decades of testing. Construction of the Tokyo-Osaka link, which is expected to cost more than 9 trillion yen ($76 billion), began in 2014.
The line, which will mostly run under mountains, is due to begin operations in the late 2020s. A similar system operates in Shanghai, linking its airport in the seaside suburbs of Pudong to the city’s subway system.
As much as I find such advances fascinating, I shudder to think of the potential fallout should one of these speeding trains have an accident.
Even were the dangers eliminated, I doubt the dedicated, near straight-line track required could be constructed here in the US, so it’s not that meaningful on this side of the Pacific.
Doesn’t matter–still in Japan
Reply to 1 &2- I’ll bet you said the same thing when you saw the first cell phone. Technology advances and some day instead of boats or planes to travel across oceans there will be these type of magnetic trainspotters enclosed tunnels. Still believe this tech is only for Japan? Check out what Elon Musk of Tesla Cars fame is working on now. But you guys just keep living in a bubble and commenting on your other narish stories.
Is a train moving at 200KPH more dangerous than one moving at 600KPH?