Fastest Train in The World
Japan's world record-breaking Maglev L-Zero passenger Train has been under testing since it was unveiled to the press in November of 2012 achieving Speeds of 374 miles per hour the Technically advanced train is eventually intended to run on the Troushing Kansan line a route between
Japanese capital Tokyo and the substantial provincial city of Osaka the first phase will run about two-thirds of the way to Nagoya by around 2027 with the remaining Osaka Stretch coming into play in roughly 2045
Nearly 100 years after Japan first looked at Maglev Technology The $47 Billion construction of the face to Nagoya 85 of which will run in tunnels will enable to run from the capital to the Provincial city a distance of around 185 miles to happen in just 40 Minutes
When the route to Osaka more like 250 miles opens it will blast to the capital in just one hour and seven minutes a massive time saving once you factor in Airport check-ins and City center train Station locations
The Total Cost to Osaka is expected to be $100 Billion or so Dollars Maglevs of course combine a number of different technologies to achieve their breathtaking speeds the key one perhaps is the concept alluded to in the name Magnetic Levitation.
The System uses only a single moving part of the train itself the Japanese system is called the SC Maglev. Maglevs use a system of superconducting Magnets to push the train away from its track
Typically a u-shaped guideway and hold it in position this has a key benefit the train doesn't actually sit on anything but Hovers are very small distance above the track and so the main source of friction that
A second MAgnet system is used to propel the train with the alignment of Poles on the Magnets used to simultaneously push the train away using repelling forces on the one Hand
And pull it forward using attracting ones on the other when the system is Cooled to low Temperature it's particularly Efficient
And while it can be expensive to set up the lack of moving parts means it's actually cheaper and more Reliable to Run and the lack of friction produces that speed there are other benefits to Maglev Systems too
Including a smooth ride created by the title's lack of contact with the path, the train is following it's also impossible for a Maglev train on a track to catch up with another train.
As the track controls the speed which as a result is the same for every train traveling on it that means there's no risk at all of the collisions at least between trains
That said there are a lot of requirements to have the train or Indeed any maglev train but not enough to stop China and South Korea also running the same system which is already functional in Shanghai and between Seoul and South Korea's southern coastline
One such requirement to run the system is the specific track layout for the Maglev which cannot share with more Conventional trains
Making it a Costly setup additionally the Sheer speed of the train means it needs minimal and relatively slight curves which can also be a limiting factor depending on the location in practice issues around putting in the Tunnels to have been a major delaying factor in Japan.
Alongside Environmental Protests especially around the Tunnel's impact on the water levels in local Rivers, the financial consequences of the Corona VirusPandemic have also impacted the project's finances
which rely to some degree on passengers using the conventional rail System and may delay the launch still the project is plowing on and had planned to offer Tokyo Olympic trial rides before the international audience was curtailed by the Coronavirus.
The Maglev 10 the specific train being Trialled in Japan by the Jl central Japanese railway company has built the Technology to the highest level seen globally so far and that's what's helped push the speed out to 374 miles per hour in testing
The top speed is unlikely to be hit in Commercial journeys which are expected to top out at closer to 300 miles an hour but could yet go up still further in experimental conditions.
It's already possible for Tourists to experience the train by booking onto a sort after preview ride on the Yamanashi Maglev test line the 26-mile circuit on which the train brock.
That speed record pulling no less than seven coaches at the time the train has also been able to travel 2500 miles in a Single day in testing the most recent model of the Japanese Maglev is rather literally called the improved Maglev l0
And was launched in May of 2020 it makes some improvements to the power system of the original with power now able to be provided through the track and also develops the Aerodynamics of the front car as well as adding an on-board Generator
If the power is cut the train will simply glide to a stop the Aerodynamic Improvements are said to be important to the speed of the train but also to the noise it makes Cutting through its Surround so quickly making the train feel more Comfortable in an everyday Commercial Environment.
While this latest model is unlikely to be the final one designer Motowaki Tarai has told the media that the latest version achieves 80% to 90% of the train's Ultimate design goals and like the earlier version consists of a 12-car set.
For now, the actual trial train consists of a combination of the two different models running some new and some older carriages once in practical use the trains will cut the current travel time between Tokyo and Osaka by around two and a half hours by train.
By more than 50% it's fair to say the media were impressed when they were given a chance to glance at the technology on the test track.
Which has hosted over 2 million test miles so far in a little under three minutes it reached 310 miles per hour its top commercial operating speed said reporter Kaisuke Umida who experienced the test run in the newest version.
I tried placing a Plastic Drink Bottle in the drink holder to check the Vibrations inside the carriage it moved a little
But basically remained stable he also described the experience of that startling speed as like a movie warp scene
There may soon be Maglevs on the way to The US too with a proposed northeastern corridor route between Washington dc and Baltimore Ultimately intended to incorporate new york under discussion
The talks are said to be ongoing on whether construction can begin having stalled under the Trump Administration due to a lack of support Virgin Hyperloop and Elon Musk's Boring Company are making use of similar technology too
That said functioning Maglevs remain a relative Rarity around the world But they're an efficient and relatively environmentally friendly way of providing Middle distance Transport at Exceptionally High Speed especially once you account for those airport check-in times
Japan's development isn't Quite Online yet as a functional piece of Transportation but when it is will be market-leading does this kind of transport appeal to you Fastest Train in The World.