The JR Tokai (JR Central Railway Company) from Japan has unveiled a MAGLEV electric train that can attain speeds of 310 MPH.
It has been under development for a very long time, and it is still just slated to commence service in 2027, but we can ogle it anyway!
The train will first be implemented on a route between Tokyo and Nagoya. It is expected to take 40 minutes to travel this160-mile route, which cuts the current travel time in half.
According to phys.org, it utilizes a 92-foot-long front car, of which 49 feet form an aerodynamic nose section, and JR Tokai plans to expand it to serve Osaka at a total cost of $102 billion.
The train is designed to pull up to 15 cars and transports up to 1,000 commuters.
MAGLEV (Magnetically Levitated) trains operate in a unique manner, and provide the following benefits:
- They use no wheels, which eliminates track noise.
- They are completely friction-less, although still subjected to drag caused by air.
- They operate without batteries (although, wheeled electric trains can too, using overhead power lines, which are actually very common).
- They are extremely efficient, unparalleled by any land vehicle.
- They can be powered by any fuel, including renewable ones, because they are electric.
Permanent magnets are mounted on the bottom of the train, and computer-controlled electromagnets on the track push the train forward.
The high speed of MAGLEV trains may have some indirect practical benefits. For example, they should encourage more ridership, because high-speed transportation is greatly appreciated by many that need to get to their destinations promptly (sometimes I wonder how many people are late for work every day).
Source: Inhabitat
Photo Credit: phys.org
Blisteringly Powerful 310 MPH Train Unleashed was originally published on: CleanTechnica
No comments:
Post a Comment