Japan is working on a blazing fast 310 mph maglev “floating” train –
and the latest prototype just hit the tracks for testing! This week
Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Central) unveiled the top-of-the-line Lo
series maglev train, which is currently slated to enter commercial
operation between Tokyo and Nagoya in 2027. The new train service will
bypass the Tokaido Shinkansen Line, slashing travel time between the two
cities from two and a half hours to one hour and seven minutes. The L0
series, also known as the “Linear motor car,” is expected to eventually
service the entire Chuo Shinkansen Line, which links Tokyo with Osaka
through Nagano Prefecture and Nagoya.
The train is designed to
operate at 500 kph and it’s only 28 meters long – including a
15-meter-long streamlined “nose” that reduces air resistance at high
speed. The subsequent cars are 24.3 meters long and they are designed to
provide more interior space than current Shinkansen models. The maglev
train has four seats in a row – one less than Shinkansen models.
“This is the first step toward commercial operations,” said Yasukazu
Endo, director of the Yamanashi linear test center. “Everything is being
done to gear up for a full-fledged test.” If all goes to plan, the new
generation L0 Series trains will begin commercial service in 2027. The
news marks the latest chapter in the ‘bullet train wars’ in Asia,
wherein Japan is competing with China’s 268 mph Shanghai maglev train.
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