Fastest train in Japan and How it Works?

With a top speed of 320 km/h (200 mph), the Shinkansen Hayabusa is the fastest train in Japan.

The Shinkansen bullet trains in Japan are currently the fastest passenger trains in the world. Although it is being developed, maglev technology is not currently on the market.

Japan’s vast Shinkansen rail system, which has been in use since 1964, has already earned it international recognition.

However, when commuter transportation becomes available in a few short years, the Maglev will surpass the fastest trains in the world today.

The Japanese Maglev: How Maglev trains work?

SC Starting in the 1970s, the Central Japan Railway Company and the Railway Technical Research Institute worked to create maglev, or superconducting magnetic trains.

The idea behind maglev trains is that the cars and the track repel each other magnetically.

The terms “magnetic” and “levitation” are combined to form the word “maglev.” An electrodynamic suspension system, or EDS, is used to create the train’s magnetic levitation, or floating.

Two sets of cross-connected metal coils twisted into a “figure eight” configuration make up the rails, also known as guideways, which act as electromagnets.

Bogies are superconducting electromagnets found on the train itself. The train sits on rubber wheels when it stops.

The train moves gently forward on these wheels to initiate motion, which enables the guideway’s magnets to interact with the train’s magnets below.

The magnetic force is strong enough to raise the train 100 millimeters (4 inches) off the ground once it strikes 150 kilometers per hour (93 miles per hour), removing friction and enabling ever-higher speeds.

The train is propelled forward and maintained in the center of the guideway by the same magnetic forces that raise it. Tesla’s Hyperloop uses the same technology, making the train incredibly safe and smooth.

Traveling across Japan: Maglev train vs. Shinkansen

Two previous rail vehicle land speed records were broken in April 2015 by a manned superconducting Maglev train. The train’s speed was measured at 375 miles per hour, or 603 kilometers per hour.

The Maglev trains that are now in service in South Korea and Shanghai, China, are far slower than this, at 268 to 311 miles per hour and 68 miles per hour, respectively.

In tests at the Miyazaki Test Track, the Maglev train has also surpassed earlier Shinkansen world speed records.

The majority of Shinkansen trains run between 200 and 275 miles per hour, or roughly 500 kilometers per hour. Future trains might reach even higher speeds when new technologies are created and used.

Examine the following table to see how fast and effectively you can travel throughout Japan with the JR Pass by contrasting the current Shinkansen trains with the upcoming Maglev trains.

Feature	Maglev	Shinkansen
Max speed	505-603 km/h	320 km/h
Travel time (Tokyo-Osaka)	67 minutes	150 minutes
Emissions	Low	Low

The Japanese Maglev Train Route

After receiving approval, the Maglev system began commercial development in 2009. It was initially intended for the linear Chuo Shinkansen line to connect Tokyo and Nagoya to open by 2027. It has since been postponed, though, and might not open until after 2037.

Compared to flying between the two cities or traveling the current Tokaido Line, which takes one and a half hours and is accessible with the Japan Rail Pass, the trip is anticipated to take only forty minutes.

Stations at Shinagawa, Sagamihara, Kofu, Iida, and Nakatsugawa will all be on the suggested route.

The Maglev project’s initial objective was to create a train that could travel the distance between Tokyo and Osaka in about an hour.

This will be accomplished when the Maglev line, which is anticipated to be operational by 2037, is expanded from Nagoya to Osaka.

The 286-kilometer (177-mile) Maglev bullet train track will be 80 percent subterranean, spanning through mountainous and metropolitan areas. It is anticipated that the project will cost the equivalent of $55 billion.

When finished, the train will have sixteen cars that can accommodate 1,000 people. Maglev test rides are currently available to the general public.

To learn more and see Maglev test runs, visitors can go to the Yamanashi Prefectural Maglev Exhibition Center near the town of Otsuki or the SC Maglev Parkway in Nagoya.

The Chuo Shinkansen

Tokyo and Nagoya will be connected by a new train line called the Chuo Shinkansen, often known as the Tokaido Shinkansen Bypass.

It will make use of state-of-the-art Maglev (Magnetic Levitation) technology and is being built in stages.

When finished, the line will offer a more direct route between the two cities and cut the trip time by around half, from the existing Tokaido Shinkansen line to 40 minutes.

As the project develops, the route will be extended to Osaka, where it will take only 67 minutes to complete the trip.

As the project develops, the route will be extended to Osaka, where it will take only 67 minutes to complete the trip.

Meanwhile, the Chuo Shinkansen Maglev line is the direct target of high-speed aspirations held by both Japanese residents and visitors.

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