Japan is resuming trial runs for the world's fastest magnetic-levitation
train that will complement the Shinkansen bullet-train network when ready in
2027.
Central Japan Railway plans to
begin work on the 5.1 trillion yen ($51 billion) maglev line between Tokyo and Nagoya
as early as April. Trial runs resumed after the company spent five
years building a 24-kilometre extension of a test track. The trains can run at
speeds of up to 581
kilometres per hour.
The maglevs will whisk
passengers to Nagoya, a city of 2.3 million
people, from Tokyo
in as little as 40 minutes for the 286-kilometre journey, from as short as 95
minutes now, according to JR Central. Faced with the challenge of tunneling
under Tokyo's skyscrapers and Japanese Alps, the
project is unlikely to be completed on time even as Japan's population is projected to
shrink.
The maglev set to resume trial runs is the fastest train in the world, with a
record speed of 581 km/h.
The new line may benefit from projections showing that even as Japan's total population declines, Tokyo's will continue to
grow as more people move to the capital. The number of people living in Tokyo prefecture is
predicted to increase to 13.4 million by 2020 from 13.2 million in 2010.
The greater Tokyo
region's population exceeds 35 million, making it the world's largest
metropolis. With a planned extension from Nagoya
to Osaka by
2045, the maglev line would put 64 million people within commuting distance of
each other.
Source: Sydney Morning Herald
