Maglev Train, Japan, 2027

We are currently working with JR to help supply high quality engineers to build the world’s fastest train line using magnetic levitation technology, an endeavor that will make the industrial centre of Nagoya, 178 miles away, a suburb of Tokyo, effectively. It could potentially be the future of public transport.

The Tokyo-Nagoya line will cost over $50 billion to put in place. The train will run at speeds of over 300 miles an hour and will cut the journey time to Nagoya to 40 minutes, down from 1.4 hours currently. The train is to start operating in 2027 and will eventually link Tokyo to Osaka, beyond Nagoya.

The maglev (short for magnetic levitation) technology for the new trains – the Chuo (Central) Shinkansen – is being demonstrated at a test track outside Tokyo. It uses powerful magnets to push the train cars, which will levitate or float four inches above a concrete pathway, rather than ride on wheels on tracks. A short-stretch maglev line currently operates in Shanghai and runs at speeds of 430 kilometers per hour.