Outdoorshopping Blog

Trains, planes, and automobiles - there are many ways to get from point A to point B. But recently the Maglev train in Japan is making headlines for breaking a world record! When we think of trains here in America, many of us remember nostalgically the old time trains from days past. In other countries, trains are making headlines for speed and technology.

The Maglev train of Japan, though, is not some brand new world-record holder. In fact, it’s simply breaking its own records from previous experimental speed runs! The Maglev train hit 603 kilometers per hour (374 miles per hour) on an experimental track in Yamanashi Tuesday, setting a decisive new world record.

A spokesperson said the train spent 10.8 seconds traveling above 600 kilometers per hour, during which it covered 1.8 kilometers (1.1 miles) - That's nearly 20 football fields in the time it took you to read the last two sentences!

The train broke its own record from last Thursday, when it ran at 590 kilometers per hour (366 miles per hour) on a test track; that beat the old record of 581 kilometers per hour (361 miles per hour), which was set in 2003 during another Japanese maglev test.

So how are these maglev trains reaching such incredible speeds? The traditional metal train track that we see typically used here in America are ditched in favor of magnetic tracks in the maglev train systems. Special guideways allow for maglev trains to be propelled with magnets above the track, essentially creating a floating train system.

These record-breaking trains aren’t created just for fun, though. Japan Railways is actually testing their systems for speed in order to create fast routes Tokyo and Nagoya, which is scheduled to begin service in 2027.

Surely as trains makes waves overseas, we’ll start to feel the effects here in the US. Perhaps one day the speed trains will make an appearance in America, again revolutionizing the way we travel.