Maglev train in Japan reaches 600 kilometers per hour

The Japanese Maglev train broke its own four-day record of 589 km/h at 603 kilometers per hour. In total, the maglev train managed to stay above 600 km/h for 11 seconds. In the future, the train should take passengers from Tokyo to Nagoya in 40 minutes.

Maglev stands for magnetic levitation; the train hovers ten centimeters above the rails. The drive is done by means of electromagnets. The train is scheduled to operate in 2027 between Tokyo and the city of Nagoya in central Japan, west of Tokyo. That journey must then take 40 minutes, with an average speed of 500 kilometers per hour. By 2045, the second part of the line should be extended to Osaka, even further west. The total travel time over the 550 kilometers must then be 67 minutes.

The costs for the new connections are enormous. It is estimated that construction of the stretch to Nagoya will ultimately cost around $100 billion, partly because 80 percent of the route will have to go through tunnels.

The record for the fastest conventional train, ie on iron rails, is still held by the French TGV, with 571 kilometers per hour in 2007. The previous record of the French dates from 1990 with 515 km/h. Japan Railways also recently broke its own 12-year record of 581km/h at 8km/h to 589km/h.

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