Offline
That would be a very quick trip between New York and Washington!
Japan's maglev train breaks new world speed record
Tokyo (AFP) - Japan's state-of-the-art maglev train clocked a new world speed record Tuesday in a test run near Mount Fuji, smashing through the 600 kilometre (373 miles) per hour mark, as Tokyo races to sell the technology abroad.The seven-car maglev train -- short for "magnetic levitation" -- hit a top speed of 603 kilometres an hour, and managed nearly 11 seconds at over 600kph, operator Central Japan Railway said.The new record came less than a week after the company recorded a top speed of 590 kph, breaking its own 2003 record of 581 kph.The maglev hovers 10 centimetres (four inches) above the tracks and is propelled by electrically charged magnets.
Last edited by Common Sense (4/21/2015 9:18 am)
Offline
Holy crap!
Offline
I can't even imagine a train moving that fast.
Offline
I rode on the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Osaka at 150 mph, but this new one is twice as fast. Must be one heck of a ride.
Never could figure out why the U.S. doesn't take passenger rail travel more seriously.
Offline
Harrisburg to Chicago in 2 hours---when can I buy a ticket?
Offline
Can someone tell us why we can't do that here? We did start the whole railway expansion in U.S. long before any other country.
Offline
The U. S. is into road building so taxpayers can keep paying for repairs, upgrades and new roads. I'd fight to be the first in line for a ticket if trains were readily available and they went where I wanted to go.
Offline
Can someone tell us why we can't do that here? We did start the whole railway expansion in U.S. long before any other country. - Trader
Probably because we have established a culture since Henry Ford that allows us the convenience to go where we want to go when we want to go there. The morphing to the suburban living and lifestyle after WWII probably has something to do with it, too. We experienced an economic boom among the working and middleclass that made cars and the fuel to operate them accessible to almost everyone.
It probably has more to do with the evolution of the American lifestyle and culture than anything else. There might be a stigma (except among big city dwellers) attached to using public transportation, too.
Most likely a combination of many socio-economic, cultural, and societal factors that other countries like Japan haven't experienced.