Central Japan Railway Company conducted the inaugural public test of its new magnetic levitation train, doing away with conventional tracks that limits the top speed to approximately 200 mph.
Japan’s new maglev train can reach 311 mph using “L-Zero” technology, a high speed propulsion system capable of shipping passengers from Tokyo to Nagoya in merely 40 minutes!
The innovative maglev technology utilizes a series of magnets as opposed to wheels in order to levitate and accelerate trains, resulting in a faster and smoother ride.
If all goes smoothly, the system should be operational by 2027.
Public test rides for the 178 mile route will commence this November at the six available stations below:
- Tokyo’s Shinagawa
- Sagamihara in Kanagawa Prefecture
- Kofu in Yamanashi Prefecture
- Iida in Nagano Prefecture
- Nakatsugawa in Gifu Prefecture and Nagoya
Japan is heavily invested into the potential prosperity of the maglev as the country has major plans to export the technology should it prove to be successful.
Currently, the Shanghai Maglev Train in China is the only operational maglev train in the world, which travels 19 miles (30.5 km) from the airport to the city around 8 minutes at a top speed of 268 mph (431 km/h).
I had the luxury of riding the Shanghai Maglev Train on a maymester a few years ago and I have to say the ride could not have been any more comfortable and pleasant on a blazing fast train!
