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A JAPANESE MAGLEV has smashed its own record to become the fastest passenger train in the world.
Operator JR Central said the train reached 603 kilometres per hour in a test run on today, surpassing its previous record of 581 kph set in 2003.
The train travelled for just over 1.8 kilometres at a speed exceeding 600 kph.
Amanda Macias / TwitterThis Japanese train is now the fastest in the world. http://t.co/G7dT0eJCs3 pic.twitter.com/HJXYdonsYL
— Amanda Macias (@amanda_m_macias) April 21, 2015
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 kilometres west of Tokyo, is developing technology for use on a future 410-kilometre link that will reduce travel time between Tokyo and Osaka to just over an hour.
Here is the train reaching 603kph:
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.
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The Japanese are great technological innovators. The leaps and bounds they’ve made in electronics, robotics and engineering over the years are just amazing.
Not so good at preventing a tsunami from destroying and exposing nuclear reactors!
I think you are a very rude man.
Nothing can prevent the forces of nature especially when it’s something of that magnitude.
Actually, Fukushima was designed by General Electric. It was an oversight by them in choosing non-waterproof backup diesel generators which caused the disaster.
Therefore Fukushima was the fault of a mistake in judgement by an American company in the late 1960′s.
Pretty hard to lay blame at them for a tsunami that occurred 50 years later.
Ah consultants…. worth every cent.
Well the blame doesn’t sit entirely on General Electric’s shoulders, however they were the ones who made the initial designs and built the first reactors without the needed diesel generators for the region. The Japanese nuclear authorities could have upgraded the facility and didn’t, despite multiple warnings.
The design was GE’s fault, not fixing it was TEPCO’s fault.
Disgraceful use of scientific fact in your comment there..you might want to balance that out with some hystrionics about nuclear holcaust..
And we’re in a bind about getting bendy bus’s for the airport. Meanwhile the rest of the world just does it while we dither, I was in Holland a while back and the trains and bus service is outstanding,reliable,affordable and on time.
When comparing speeds it makes sense to keep the same units.
sloppy journalism. they don’t bother proof reading any more, just like this line
“train reached 603 kilometers per hour in a test run on today, “
Trains are cool and the BEST method of transport between high density locations. Comparing Ireland’s rail system and sparse population is not fair really. The bullet trains in Japan have put airlines routes out of business they are that fast and efficient.
If only the Dublin to Cork line was as efficient.
600 kph, that’d bring you from Dublin to Galway in about 45 minutes I guess, if you include the accelerating and stopping time for the train.
I thought the maynooth to Connolly train held the speed record or was it the slow as f**k record.
“Not as fast as Fine Gael & Labour losing power next year” he says in a sarcastic tone.
You should be on a stage (in a sarcastic tone)..
If we could link Dublin City to the airport with a train I’d be ecstatically happy… It’s bloody ridiculous when you see how other cities and countries allocate their capital expenditure.
I’d definetly be sick onboard!
Cruising speed of a passenger jet is about 850kmh, so for a train to cruise along at 600+ is very impressive. Or have people just become apathetic? Worlds fastest train Meh!!
That’s one way of slightly slowing your ageing process, get a job as the train driver.
The Japanese Maglev is not certified to carry passengers at that speed – think current certification is at about 400kph. That speed record was on a totally empty train without even a driver. Shanghai Maglev is carries passengers at 430kph on 35km track – 7.5 minute journey time. Bloody amazing!!
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have your say