June 21, 2011

Japan to play home to world’s fastest train, the 313mph Maglev

by Gavril Mankoo

The Japanese love travelling fast. Well, at least that’s what we’ve always had in mind, given that the country is forever increasing the speeds at which its trains travel at. The Central Japan Railway recently gave an eager nod for Japan’s next lightning-fast rail project, a Maglev train that travels at a nerve-wrecking mind-boggling 313 miles an hour! To connect Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka, these trains will use a system that typically levitates the train to a reasonable height above the track, reducing friction and allowing for higher speeds. And with a speed like that, you might just be able to travel all the way from Tokyo to Osaka in about an hour’s time! Japan has never felt so small before.

[Inhabitat]