Magnetic levitation trains in Japan.
Despite the coronavirus crisis, Japan has revealed that it will conduct tests of a new prototype train as part of its ambitious magnetic levitation train line.
Altrove, però, il concetto di Maglev mostra pochi segni di decollo. Since its launch in time for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the Shinkansen has remained a source of national pride in Japan. Indeed, the history of the bullet train is a story of progress. When it first connected Tokyo to Osaka over half a century ago, it had a speed of 210 km/h; today, trains zoom at speeds up to 320 km/h, carrying over a million passengers a day.
However, since the Shinkansen has become a sort of institution and an emblem of the country's technological spirit, the next chapter of high-speed train travel in Japan has proven to be much more challenging to write. While Japan already has a magnetic levitation-based rail network, the Linimo Line in Aichi Prefecture, near the city of Nagoya, is significantly overshadowed by the Chinese Maglev commercial service, which shuttles between Shanghai and Pudong International Airport at 268 miles per hour (Linimo travels at 62 miles per hour).
High-speed rail projects in Japan with Maglev technology.
The Chuo Shinkansen Maglev line
It has been over 17 years since the Shanghai Transrapid began operating, and yet it remains the fastest electric train in the world. Tokyo, which began exploring the merits of the technology in the late 1960s, is eager to outdo its longtime rival and unveil an even more ambitious Maglev system. Japan is placing a big bet on the Chuo Shinkansen Maglev line, which will cover the distance of 178 miles between Tokyo and Nagoya at a speed of 500 km/h, reducing travel time to just 40 minutes. The Japanese network, which is scheduled to open commercially in 2027, is based on superconducting magnets capable of levitating the train up to 10 cm with minimal friction.
Gesa Industry is always attentive to the latest developments in high-speed rail services.
Gesa Industry is closely following the race for technological evolution, welcoming and studying every innovation in order to provide its customers with an ever-advanced and up-to-date offer in the train interior sector.