Japanese Maglev breaks speed record AGAIN: 'Floating' train hits 375mph during latest test run
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Less than a week since it smashed its previous speeds, the so-called Japanese bullet train has entered the record books once more.
The seven-car Maglev - short for 'magnetic levitation' - hit a top speed of 375mph (603 km/h) and travelled for almost 11 seconds at speeds above 373mph (600km/h) during a test run near Mount Fuji.
The run beat last week's speeds of 366mph (590kph), which in turn beat the train's previous 12-year record of 361mph (581km/h).
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The seven-car Maglev (pictured) - short for 'magnetic levitation' - hit a top speed of 375mph (603 km/h) and travelled for almost 11 seconds at speeds above 373mph (600km/h) during a run near Mount Fuji. It beat last week's speeds of 366mph (590kph), which in turn beat the train's previous record of 361mph (581km/h)
The train is able to go this fast because it makes use of a charge to lift and move it above a guideway.
It hovers four inches (10cm) above the tracks and is propelled by electrically charged magnets.
The technology promises a ride that's smoother, quieter and almost twice as fast as traditional high-speed rail.
Owner Central Japan Railway plans to have a train in service in 2027 to join Tokyo and the central city of Nagoya - a distance of 177 miles (286km).
The speeds, however, won't be as high when the new line between Tokyo and Nagoya comes into service.
According to engineers, the trains will travel at 314mph (505km/h) - but this will still cut the journey time for the journey by more than half.
For comparison, the UK's HS2 rail line will run at 224mph (360km/h).
By 2045, Maglev trains are expected to link Tokyo and Osaka in just 67 minutes, slashing the journey time in half.
The Maglev trains are expected to eventually consist of 16 carriages and carry up to 1,000 passengers at a time.
Japan is well-established as the world leader in high-speed trains, having developed the first 'bullet train' in 1964.
It is now hoping to bring the technology to the US and has outlined plans for a line between Washington and Baltimore, which will cut travel times between the cities to just 15 minutes.
Maglev was first proposed as a method to propel trains as far back as the mid 20th century.
The first commercial maglev train to come into operation was a relatively low-speed shuttle at Birmingham International Airport in 1984. This travelled at a rather mundane 26mph (42km/hr).
It was not until the turn of the century, though, that high-speed maglev would come into commercial operation, mostly in Japan and China.
Maglev trains (pictured) hover four inches (10cm) above the tracks and is propelled by electrically charged magnets. This eliminates the need for wheels and therefore any incidence of friction, providing a faster and quieter service. Acceleration and deceleration far exceeds that of conventional trains
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.
Andy Kunz, president of the US High Speed Rail Association. told the Los Angeles Times that maglev trains have proved to be expensive, power-intensive, and potentially unsafe.
'The problem is if you have one tiny little settling of the Earth - which happens all the time because of plate tectonics - that can create little movements in the maglev system, which can send trains crashing into stuff,' he said.
By 2045 maglev trains (example pictured) are expected to link Tokyo and Osaka in just one hour and seven minutes, slashing the journey time in half. The Maglev trains are set to eventually consist of 16 carriages and carry up to 1,000 passengers at a time
Owner Central Japan Railway plans to have a train in service in 2027 to join Tokyo and Nagoya - a distance of 177 miles (286km). The speeds, however, won't be as high when the new line comes into service. According to engineers, the trains will travel at 314mph (505km/h) - but this will cut the journey time by more than half
'It's a very difficult system to make operational.'
A new development called super-maglev could be set to push the limits even higher.
Last year, China's first manned megathermal superconducting maglev was been tested successfully by the Applied Superconductivity Laboratory of Southwest Jiaotong University.
The technology works by using a vacuum tube to decrease the speed limitations imposed by air resistance on regular maglev trains.
'ETT (Evacuated Tube Transport) systems might allow HTS Maglev trains to attain speeds in a new order of magnitude, such as super-high 3,000km (1,800 miles) per hour, which could be applied to some military or space launch systems,' the researchers write.
Pictured on the left is a test model Maglev train from 2003. On the right, the new Hokuriku 'shinkansen', or bullet train, bound for Tokyo heading out of Kanazawa station in Ishikawa prefecture on 14 March
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