Japan’s maglev train reaches speeds of 375 mph, breaks record (again)

Electronic Products has been bringing you updates on Japan’s speedy maglev train that hovers right off the tracks for a few years now.

Today, the maglev train did it again— breaking another world speed record in a test run near Mount Fuji, reaching 375 mph for 11 seconds. This is the second time it has bettered its own record since 2003 when it achieved speeds of 361 mph.

Watch as it achieves its second record in a week.

(Video credit: The Guardian)

The Japan Railway Central company aims to have the maglev train up and running for commercial use by 2027 achieving speeds of almost 180 mph between Tokyo and Nagoya. The company’s even further goal is the have the maglev link Tokyo and Osaka in just one hour and seven minutes (currently travel time is about double).

The maglev technology uses guide ways instead of metal tracks in order to create frictionless movement and the train is driven by electrically charged magnets that enable it to hover about 10 cm above the tracks to incur such speeds.
 
It is expected that once available for use, it will put to shame the Shinkansen bullet train service which is capable of transferring people between main cities at speeds up to almost 200 mph. 

Currently, the fastest commercial maglev can be found in China running at speeds of 268 mph. America lags behind with its Amtrak Acela Express train which only achieves speeds of 150 mph, but usually doesn’t travel that quickly.

There’s already been some talk about installing Japanese-style bullet and magnetic train systems in America between Baltimore and Washington, DC.