Is Japan building maglev?

JR Central operates conventional bullet trains in a wide area of Japan's Pacific coast covering Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka, and is building the country's first maglev line between Tokyo and Nagoya, where the company is based.



Yes, Japan is currently building one of the most ambitious transportation projects in history: the Chuo Shinkansen, a superconducting magnetic levitation (maglev) line. This system uses powerful magnets to lift the train approximately 10 centimeters above the track, eliminating friction and allowing it to reach record-breaking commercial speeds of up to 505 km/h (314 mph). The first phase of the project aims to connect Tokyo (Shinagawa) to Nagoya in just 40 minutes—a journey that currently takes about 90 minutes on the existing "bullet train." The project has faced significant delays, particularly regarding environmental concerns over water levels in the Southern Alps tunnel in Shizuoka Prefecture, pushing the expected opening date past its original 2027 target toward the mid-2030s. Despite these hurdles, the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) continues active testing on the Yamanashi Maglev Test Line. Once completed, the maglev will not only provide a lightning-fast alternative for commuters but will also serve as a vital backup to the existing Tokaido Shinkansen line, ensuring Japan's economic heart remains connected even in the event of major seismic activity.

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The Chuo Shinkansen is the culmination of Japanese maglev development since the 1970s, a government-funded project initiated by Japan Airlines and the former Japanese National Railways (JNR).

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Six commercial maglev systems are currently in operation around the world. One is located in Japan, two in South Korea, and three in China. In Aichi, Japan, near Nagoya, a system built for the 2005 World's Fair, the Linimo, is still in operation.

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Ranking of the five fastest commercial trains in the world in 2023
  • Shanghai Transrapid Maglev Train, China: 267.8 mph (431 km/h) ...
  • CR400 Fuxing train, China: 217.4 mph (350 km/h) ...
  • ICE 3, Germany: 205 mph (330 km/h) ...
  • TGV, France: 198.8 mph (320 km/h) ...
  • Shinkansen, Japan: 198.8 mph (320 km/h)


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Background on Maglev Train, Vactrain, Hyperloop They are even faster than regular maglev trains, but are even more expensive to build. Hyperloops are a proposed type of transportation that would use a low-pressure tube to send people or cargo through a tube at high speeds.

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As noted above the Maglev trains are capable of traveling at speeds nearly twice as fast as the bullet trains. However, the use of such extreme speeds in commercial travel seems unlikely. Whereas Maglev trains travel at speeds of up to 400 or 600kph, bullet trains travel at a modest 320kph.

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China initially relied on high-speed technology imported from Europe and Japan to establish its network. Global rail engineering giants such as Bombardier, Alstom and Mitsubishi were understandably keen to co-operate, given the potential size of the new market and China's ambitious plans.

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Maglev trains are “driven” by the powered guideway. Any two trains traveling the same route cannot catch up and crash into one another because they're all being powered to move at the same speed. Similarly, traditional train derailments that occur because of cornering too quickly can't happen with Maglev.

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Maglev trains require very straight and level tracks to maintain high speeds. This necessitates extensive viaducts and tunneling, making construction costly.

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Right now, there is already one Japanese maglev train in operation, the Linimo line in Aichi Prefecture. This 9km train runs from Fujigaoka Station in Nagoya to Yakusa Station in the city of Toyota and has a top speed of 100km/h or 62mph.

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There has been so much hype, with several firms years ago saying that we would have a mass-scale hyperloop system by now. But the dream of a hyperloop, a mega-fast transportation system. hasn't ended yet. TUM Hyperloop told CNBC it is still developing the technology.

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The high cost of maglev systems results from the need for a stand-alone guideway construction featuring active magnetic coils embedded directly into the guideway or on the vehicle and, in the case of the Japanese design, the addition of very low temperature liquid cooled superconducting magnets.

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China: Surpassing the Rest of the World Due to generous funding from the Chinese government, high-speed rail in China has developed rapidly over the past 15 years. China began planning for its current high-speed rail system in the early 1990s, modeling it after Japan's Shinkansen system.

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Tracks: None of the nation's rail lines are built for trains to run 200 mph. Amtrak's Northeast Corridor — the busiest intercity U.S. passenger route by a wide margin — is filled with sharp curves, bottlenecks, decaying tunnels, bridges and overhead power lines that slow down trains.

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American railways were also built on a wider gauge (the distance between the rails), which allows for larger and heavier trains. As a result, American freight railways are much more efficient than their European counterparts, carrying almost three times as much cargo per mile of track.

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The Shanghai maglev train is the only maglev train in commercial operation that can be considered as high speed.

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