Magnetically levitated train breaks world speed record at 343 mph

Magnetically levitated train breaks world speed record at 343 mph

TOKYO (April 14, 1999 8:09 a.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - A magnetically levitated Japanese train manned by engineers broke its own world speed record on a test run Wednesday, clocking 343 mph, the train's developer said.

The train - a five-car superconducting magnetically levitated linear motor vehicle, or MLX01 maglev, with 13 engineers aboard - set the record on a test track near the city of Kofu, 68 miles west of Tokyo, said Hirotaka Kawana, a spokesman for Central Japan Railway Co.

The previous record of 330 mph for a manned run was set on Dec. 12, 1997, the spokesman said. An unmanned Japanese maglev reached a speed of 342 mph on Dec. 24, 1997, he said.

Central Japan Railway Co. is developing the maglev train jointly with Japan's Railway Technology Research Institute. They will decide by March next year whether to adopt the train for use in future commercial transportation projects.

Hideyuki Kobayashi, an official at the research institute, said the total cost of developing the train was $2.5 billion.

Maglev trains differ from conventional trains in that magnets lift them slightly off the ground, eliminating speed-reducing friction with the tracks.

Last year, lawmakers in the United States authorized $1 billion in federal money to explore and construct a maglev segment.

Japan is home to some of the world's fastest passenger trains. The "bullet trains" run up to 186 mph and have reached maximum speeds of 275 mph in test runs.