Japanese Maglev Breaks Own Speed Record.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Not as fast as a speeding bullet.  But as powerful as a locomotive.

 

603 Km/hr = 374.68683 mi/hr.  Let's call it 375 mph.

[Alejandro24 575]

And that's what I call a bullet train...

 

Some history.

 

[Easy Bakes 253]

to bad we will never get something like that built here

[Wiimeiser 452]

Nor here. The Victorian Government is so hopeless even Sweetie Belle could do a better job.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

And our climate and topography pretty much excludes one here.  At the moment, we are not into electrically powered rolling stock of this magnitude, mostly because our distances are very large compared to those in Japan.  Even an attempt at a high speed link between Toronto and Montreal was a bust because the road bed wasn't good enough.

[jmsepe 2,039]

Wow, that is some really incredible speed. :3

[Odainsaker 2,137]

Of course, a fancy maglev train will need a fancy mega station, of the beehive type Japan just loves to build.  Nagoya, at the midpoint between Tokyo and Osaka, is already constructing the Nagoya Station New Building, adding a third tower to their current JR Central Towers double-skyscraper train station:

 

After all, if you are going to spend ¥9,000,000,000,000, or just a small tad over US$75,000,000,000, you might as well get a skyscraper out of it!  Actually, just the aforementioned "small tad" would pay for it.

 

Did young Prince Hiro, today's heir apparent to the ancient throne, in 1968 ever dream he would see the day:

 

 

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Of course, I don't expect to ever see the like here in central Texas, which is only now maybe seriously taking the first tentative steps towards connecting San Antonio and Austin via a proposed 114-mile, intercity Lone Star Rail (LSTAR) Project.  Only $1,700,000,000, so no triple-skyscraper stations, though San Antonio is slowly redeveloping the old International & Great Northern Depot into a multimodal transit hub which would include LSTAR.  However, both San Antonio's downtown streetcar project and Austin's metro rail expansions were swamped and capsized in the riptides of the Republican anti-Obama tidal wave during last year's national midterm elections, and now their Lone Star Rail Project may be coming out of the initial public review and environment impact studies just in time for the 2016 post-Obama/anti-Hillary national elections.  Ah well...to think that Japan, both encouraged by President Obama's high-speed rail proposals some years back and also eyeing export competition, offered to give America this maglev train technology and pay for our first leg!  "Lone Star Rail"...c'mon, let's take Prime Minister Abe up on that 2013 offer to Obama and call it the "Texas Tokaido"!

[NMUSpidey 3,956]

Nagoya is all under construction right now in preparation for this (I was just there on Monday).  Frankly, it's kind of a mess, but it looks like the end product will be nice.  Apparently they also have some kind of trains and maglev exhibit-thing going on right now until September, but I was in a hurry so I didn't stop to look into it and I can't be bothered to google it right now.

[Ocram's Razr 964]

That is really cool! California, Texas, and Boswash should get some sort of high speed rail but probably not that fast or expensive. Sadly, we (the USA) don't even properly maintain our own infrastructure.

--Ocram

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

 

And our climate and topography pretty much excludes one here.  At the moment, we are not into electrically powered rolling stock of this magnitude, mostly because our distances are very large compared to those in Japan.  Even an attempt at a high speed link between Toronto and Montreal was a bust because the road bed wasn't good enough.

 

Maybe not a maglev but then again how many places in the world have one? At least the provincial government is moving forward with electrifying the commuter system and seriously considering building a HSR rail line between Toronto & London. Both of which are pretty big first steps.

 

Yes, but is there will to maintain the roadbed that is needed for this?  I think there isn't enough political will nor public will to pay for it.  There is too damned much lack-a-daisy for anything to happen very soon, if at all, despite the feds new budget infrastructure BS.

 

The first big winter storm may well knock out such a system in any case.  It raised hell with the Toronto-Montreal project, and that was a rather half-hearted attempt anyway.

[philforhockey51 4,220]

Here in New Jersey, we are sitting right in the path of the one that should exist between NY City and D.C. (sorry Boston I'm cutting you out too much Snow lol)   Population err Ridership: Check   Weather: Check    Topography: Check    Too Many States that can't get along: Double Check      

 

     The Accela project(highspeed rail line) takes that route and has never been able to go at the speed it is "capable of". If my memory serves me well, there are two reasons: One the track was not built correctly in some spots and in some bends as the cars lean they would make contact with another train coming in the opposite direction, they were a few inches too wide.  States along the route have also caused problems, mostly political moves.

 

I knew it wouldn't take much to find the article. here: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/24/national/24acela.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0  

 

I don't thnk I'll get to see/ride one around here. 

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Multiple jurisdictions always cause problems.  I gather this is not the case in Japan as they seem to have largely overcome that.

[NMUSpidey 3,956]

The local governments know who's in charge and the yakuza run the construction companies.  Deals get done, progress is made, there is no stopping that masterpiece of bureaucracy.

[Terring 6,476]

It's very unlikely to have trains like this in Greece, a small country with plenty of mountains and a laughable economy, although I'd loved to have a ride on a train like that.

[Kiiroitori 55]

Nup not something Straya will ever get... Even the government has messed up our NBN... and a high speed rail between the melbourne, Sydney Brisbane? Not even...