Japan to Launch Maglev Trains by 2025

SpeedyTrain writes with a link to a story on the Mainichi Daily News site about the future of mass transit in Japan. Despite problems with Maglev technology in test-bed scenarios around the world, Japan has committed to building a line between Tokyo and Nagoya by 2025. The experimental system will allow trains to run at up to 310 miles an hour. "The new magnetically levitated, or "maglev," trains would slash the 100-minute travel time down the country's busiest transportation corridor and are envisioned as a successor for Japan's iconic bullet trains, or shinkansen, first introduced to the world in 1964 ... [a] spokeswoman declined to give an estimate for the cost of linking the capital with the Nagoya area about 269 kilometers (168 miles) to the west. But Kyodo News agency said the whole project would cost about 9 trillion yen (US$76.3 billion) and be divided between the company and the central and local governments."

Comments

Never Underestimate the Japanese

[tecker]

Never underestimate the Japanese. If they set a firm goal that is obtainable then watch out. In the past when they set a goal for themselves they usually achieve it. 20 years is plenty of time to get the technology figured out. The interesting thing will be how they pull it off.

Here is another thing to think about. This opens the door for small startup or research groups that could potentially win a contract if they can create a viable working and safe system. If the little guy can do that then there is some money to be made from the technology both there and around the world. By announcing this the get the people who think they can do it better then the others. Think of the chance and getting your technology in place there like the Xprize for space flight.

I would be more surprised if they didn't pull this one off looking back at history.