TEMPO.CO, Tokyo - A Japanese magnetic levitation train, the Maglev, has broken the world's speed record on Tuesday, April 21, 2015, hitting 603 km/h in a test run near Mount Fuji.
The train uses electrically-charged magnets to lift and move carriages above the rail tracks. The train broke its previous 590 km/h speed record.
Maglev train owner, the Central Japan Railway (JR Central), said it wanted to introduce the public transportation service between Tokyo and Nagoya by 2027. The journey of 280 km can be reached in just 40 minutes with this train.
However, passengers will not be able to experience the record-breaking speed because the company said its trains would operate at a maximum speed of 505 km/h.
Compared to the Shinkansen, known as the bullet train, the Maglev train is much faster. Shinkansen only has a maximum speed of 320 km/h.
BBC | HUSSEIN ABRI YUSUF