The Central
Japan Railway Co. unveiled a prototype it believes will bring faster train
service than ever before to Japan. The Series Lo prototype is a magnetic
levitation train, floating above its track and moving forward thanks to powerful
magnets. It will run from Tokyo to Nagoya, and travel as fast as 311 mph (500
kilometers per hour).
The idea of
maglev-powered transportation has been around for over a century. The first pertinent
patent was issued in 1905; Britain operated a low-speed maglev shuttle in
Birmingham between 1984 and 1995. Presently, only two commercial systems are in
service. The first started operation in Shanghai in 2004, followed in 2005 by a
Japanese system called Linimo, which runs at only 60 mph, 20% of the top speed
the JR Tokai predicts for the new maglev train.
Japan is
already operating by high-speed bullet trains, but maglev systems offer several
advantages, which is frictionless, as they are faster and quieter than trains
that make use of wheels, and even are not impacted by bad weather. Japan Railway
Tokai plans to fabricate a train that will seat nearly 1,000 passengers that
will be in function by 2027, and expand service to Osaka by 2045.
