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Maglev Train Exceeds 600km/h For World Record

Posted by Soulskill on from the zoom-zoom dept.

nojayuk writes: An experimental Japanese magnetic levitation train has reached a speed of 603 km/h, breaking the world speed record the same train set last week of 590 km/h. "Central Japan Railway (JR Central), which owns the trains, wants to introduce the service between Tokyo and the central city of Nagoya by 2027. The 280km journey would take only about 40 minutes, less than half the current time. However, passengers will not get to experience the maglev's record-breaking speeds because the company said its trains will operate at a maximum of 505km/h. In comparison, the fastest operating speed of a Japanese shinkansen, or "bullet train" is is 320km/h. ... Construction costs are estimated at nearly $100bn (£67bn) just for the stretch to Nagoya, with more than 80% of the route expected to go through costly tunnels, AFP news agency reports."

6 of 189 comments (clear)

  1. Re:$100 billion for 150 miles? by spiritplumber · · Score: 5, Insightful

    For 5% of the fuel cost? And no security theater? And no $100 taxi ride either way? I'll take it.

    --
    Liberty - Security - Laziness - Pick any two.
  2. Exceeds 600 km/h? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Obviously their real goal was to exceed 1 megafurlong per fornight (598.7 km/h).

  3. Re:$100 billion for 150 miles? by aseth · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So, less than one Iraq War then?

    Sounds pretty good.

  4. I took a high speed train recently... by bluegutang · · Score: 5, Insightful

    on a trip to Italy, from Rome to Naples (same distance as DC to Philadelphia). It took 1:10 from city center to city center, at a top speed of 295km/h. Amtrak's best trip over the same distance takes 1:40 and costs literally 4-8 times as much. There was no security theater - you could arrive two minutes before departure and run onto the platform and make the train. The seats were comfortable and roomy, and there was free wifi and charging stations at every seat.

    I really don't see how anyone could choose driving/flight over this for short-to-medium range intercity trips. Unfortunately it looks like the US will never get a real high speed rail system, because the Republicans think all trains are an evil communist plot, while the Democrats insist on sending every infrastructure project to 10 years of environmental review dependency hell. Meanwhile every other developed country continues to overtake us in quality of life.

    1. Re:I took a high speed train recently... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      you could arrive two minutes before departure

      Risk of paradoxes seems unnecessarily high.

  5. Re:money? by Nukenbar · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Live in NYC, and just got back from Tokyo.

    The train system in the Northeast is a joke compared to anywhere in Europe and a hilarious joke compared to Japan.