Headlines
Japanese train sets world speed record
Tokyo, April 21
A Japanese high-speed train
broke its own world speed record on Tuesday, clocking 603 kilometres per
hour (374.69 miles per hour), after having set the previous record less
than a week ago.
The maglev -- magnetically levitated -- train
broke the record during a 42-km test run in Yamanashi, a district about
35 km west of Tokyo, Efe news agency reported.
The same train had set the world speed record on April 16, when it clocked 590 kmph.
The
train uses a magnetic levitation system, using linear motors installed
near the rails, by which the magnetic field elevates the train by up to
10 cm above the rails, leaving air resistance as the only source of
friction.
Central Japan Railway plans to have the maglev
operational in 2027 connecting Shinagawa, south of Tokyo, and Nagoya in
central Japan.
The maglev will take 40 minutes to cover the 286-km distance between the two points, a trip that currently takes 88 minutes.
The train is expected to run at a maximum speed of 500 kmph when it functions commercially.
Central Japan Railway plans to extend the service from Nagoya to Osaka in western Japan by 2045.