Japan steams ahead on new bullet train

Japan steams ahead on new bullet train
By admin


Japan is testing a new train that will travel even faster than a speeding bullet train, with Central Japan Railway Company set to have passengers test it out this week.

The maglev train will reach speeds of up to 500 kilometres per hour, and will run between Tokyo and the central city of Nagoya by 2027, according to Lily Kuo of skift.com.

The train will cut travel time from 90-minutes to 40-minutes, and will utilise magnetism to propel trains forward with significantly less friction, a huge improvement on Japan’s famed bullet train network the Shinkansen.

Japan still faces stiff competition from China, which has been working hard to build a high speed train within its country as well as trying to sell it elsewhere, reports Kuo.

The world’s fastest passenger train currently is Shanghai’s maglev, which clocks up about 431-kilometres per hour on the Pudong to International Airport route.

The plan is to eventually create a high-speed mass transit maglev network across the country, Skift.com reports, despite Japan’s falling number of commuters and potential passengers.

By 2045, when the maglev train is expected to extend to Osaka, the number of potential commuters is predicted to fall by a third.

Additionally, there are still concerns regarding the mountainous terrain of Japan, which poses a problem for the maglev trains, which require straight and level tracks to ensure safety, Kuo writes.

Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

Latest News

  • Conferences

Sydney confirms position as Australia’s No. 1 business events host

Sydney’s reinforced its position as the world’s preferred Australian host city, and top Australian city in the APAC region for international and local business events. Sydney secured 25th place in the worldwide ICCA city rankings and ranked 6th (ICCA) and 3rd (CVENT) in the Asia Pacific region. Tourism Australia also celebrated the ICCA 2023 rankings […]

  • Food & Beverage
  • Hotels

Luke Mangan launches Bistrot Bisou, his first Melbourne restaurant in over a decade

Melbourne-born, Sydney-based chef and restaurateur Luke Mangan will open his first Melbourne restaurant in more than a decade this winter with the launch of Bistrot Bisou, set within the art-focused, character-filled Hotel Indigo. Set on the corner of Flinders Lane and Spencer Street, the relaxed French bistro and bar will feature modern takes on classic […]

  • Luxury

COMO launches new family-sized farmhouse in the heart of Tuscany

COMO Hotels and Resorts has launched its new farmhouse apartments in the heart of Tuscany, just in time for Australians to escape our wet winter. And it’s also an ideal time for Aussies of Italian ancestry to explore their home country as 2024 has been declared the year of Roots and Heritage Tourism by the […]

  • Destinations
  • News

New Caledonia in lockdown and airport closed after violent riots rock Noumea

New Caledonia officials have announced a 6pm-6am curfew, a liquor ban and have closed the country’s main airport after overnight riots in which vehicles were torched and roads blocked in the wake of proposed constitutional reforms. Australian Government website Smartraveller has issued an alert informing visitors to exercise a high degree of caution in metropolitan […]