Japan maglev train breaks world speed record again

 

A Japanese magnetic levitation train has broken its own world speed record, hitting 603km/h (374mph) in a test run near Mount Fuji.

The train beat the 590km/h speed it had set last week in another test.
Maglev trains use electrically charged magnets to lift and move carriages above the rail tracks.
Central Japan Railway (JR Central), which owns the trains, wants to introduce the service between Tokyo and the central city of Nagoya by 2027.
The 280km journey would take only about 40 minutes, less than half the current time.
However, passengers will not get to experience the maglev's record-breaking speeds because the company said its trains will operate at a maximum of 505km/h

Note

China was the first country to have a commercially-operated Maglev service.

The Shanghai Maglev opened to the public in January 2004, and has a top commercial operational speed of 268mph due to the short track length.It cost $1.3billion (£830million) to build.

Manufacturers claim that Maglev technology is less polluting than the flights that currently link the cities.

But not everyone is convinced that the technology is safe.