JR Tokai Maglev Train Rewrites World Record

Tsuru, Yamanashi Pref., April 21 (Jiji Press)--Central Japan Railway Co. <9022>, or JR Tokai, said Tuesday that its magnetic levitation Shinkansen train achieved the world's fastest speed of 603 kilometers per hour on a test line in Yamanashi Prefecture. Just on Thursday, the train attained 590 kilometers per hour, setting a world record for a manned train for the first time in 11 years and four months. According to JR Tokai, the test run was carried out with a new seven-car train in the L0 series. Around 10:50 a.m. (1:50 a.m. GMT) during the test run, the train traveled at over 600 kilometers per hour for some 10 seconds in a tunnel from Fuefuki to Uenohara, both in the central Japan prefecture. In the maglev train commercial service, expected to open as early as 2027, JR Tokai plans to operate trains at the maximum speed of some 500 kilometers per hour. But it has made world record attempts to collect data and improve operation techniques. The firm also hopes to improve train designs by using the data, such as on air resistance and vibrations that trains experience at over 600 kilometers per hour. Kazuyasu Endo, head of the test center, said that maglev trains run more stably as they travel faster. "I believe the train ride was even more comfortable" at the superhigh speeds, he added. END