Japan has been known for its bullet trains which hurdle passengers at 200mph and above. Japan’s MagLev or magnetic levitation trains have been the forerunner in the worlds high speed ground travel industry. The trains work by actually levitating 10cm (4inches) off the ground and using electrically charged magnets to propel itself forward. This makes for completely frictionless movement where no part of the train actually touches the track during travel Yesterday a Japan railway maglev train hit 607 kilometers per hour (374mph) on an experimental track in Yamanashi setting a new world record. The train spent 10 seconds traveling at 600 kph and traveled 1.8 kilometers (1.1 miles). So the train traveled 20 football fields in the time it took you to read the last 2 sentences. Check out the video after the jump!
When the new record was set witness’ erupted in joy and excitement said Takeo Ookanda who runs an exhibition center next to the test track. The maglev train broke its previous record from last Thursday when it went 581 kph (286mph). The worlds fastest commercial maglev train that you can buy a ticket for is currently in China which hits 268mph on its route through Shanghai. For comparison the fastest train in the United States the Amtrak Excela Express travels a measly 241 kph (150mph). America has some catching up to do with Japan. The world record breaking train is set to make trips from Tokyo to Nogoya in 2027. That journey usually would take 5 hours by car, but on 40 minutes on the high speed maglev train. Japan is actually trying to sell their maglev technology to developers in the United States. TatWza that would make the traffic in NYC a lot more manageable. The future of transportation looks very bright and very fast!
Source: AutoBlog
