The Japanese Shinkansen bullet trains have recently received a new sibling, the 186 mph Hayabusa. The ultrafast train will link Tokyo and Aomori, a city somewhere in the northern part of Honshu Island. The chairman of East Japan Railway Company, Mutsutake Otsuka assures us that the company will continue to do its best to improve Hayabusa in every respect: speed, comfort and sustainability. The near future (sometime next year) will bring a new top speed of 200 mph to the train, which means that this will be the new fastest train in Japan.
Passengers will enjoy picturesque landscapes on their journey, and for £200 their one-way trip will immerse them in luxury and comfort in a ‘GrandClass’ car with private cabin attendant and high-end leather seats. Japan currently wants to sell the Shinkansen technology to other countries too, as domestic demand is gradually falling, but fierce competition from China, Germany and France threatens their plans.
However, if everything goes according to plan, a new magnetic levitation (maglev) train will be also developed, and by 2027 it will link Tokyo and Nagoya. Tests have shown just what incredible speeds this technology offers: 363 mph. According to the DailyMail, the high-performance bullet trains have already become the preferred means of transportation, leaving road travel and flying behind.
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