JR Central has approached Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport for the powers to construct a ground-breaking superconducting (SC) maglev system between Tokyo and Nagoya.
Approval from the Japanese government would mean work could finally begin on the 438-kilometre Chuo Shinkansen system between Nagoya and Shinagawa, Tokyo.
The project is expected to cost around JPY 9 trillion (€66 billion).
JR Central plan to open the system, which would be capable of speeds of around 505 km/h, in 2027.
In 1997, JR Central began testing the SC Maglev technology at its Yamanashi Maglev Test Line and in 2003, JR Central’s SC maglev hit 581 km/h, setting a new Guinness World Record. An extension of the test track has since allowed JR Central to test its LO maglev train [not pictured].
