It would seem Japan plans to build a maglev line betewen Tokyo and Osaka, via Nagoya, with construction starting in 2014. Construction won't be complete until 2045(!) though, at a cost of some ¥9 billion (£67.5 billion). Should be interesting, if they do actually manage to get it built - part of the line should be open by 2027, so I'll perhaps look forward to riding it when I'm 40!
Ah! About time! The Tokaido Shinkansen between Osaka and Kyoto is the oldest bit and therefore the slowest (at 270kph - 30kph slower than the Eurostar) but also the most congested (ie: check out this timetable for Nagoya - Shin Yokohama - that's only 1 hour's worth of departures form Nagoya http://www.tt-forums.net/download/file.php?id=143764 ). Seeming as the vast majority of traffic is indeed only between Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya and Tokyo (ie: the 10-minute frequency Nozomi station-calls) it seems only right for them to take the shortest route without regard to the intermediate communities.
But 35 years to build.... - I suppose that's what you get when the majority of it is in tunnel.
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China already have one! It goes from Shanghai Airport to Shanghai!
It is notable for being the first commercial high-speed maglev line in the world — during a test run on 12 November 2003, a Maglev vehicle achieved a Chinese record speed of 501 km/h (311 mph) (non-commercial top speed).
As far as I can see, nobody's claiming that this is the first... they're just saying that they're building one. In itself, that's fairly big news: it's only the second worldwide, and won't it be further & faster?
I'll be honest, I don't quite trust the chinese one: look at this picture of the cabin, I'm fairly sure that's an extension cord...
audigex wrote:As far as I can see, nobody's claiming that this is the first... they're just saying that they're building one. In itself, that's fairly big news: it's only the second worldwide, and won't it be further & faster?
I'll be honest, I don't quite trust the chinese one: look at this picture of the cabin, I'm fairly sure that's an extension cord...
audigex wrote:As far as I can see, nobody's claiming that this is the first... they're just saying that they're building one. In itself, that's fairly big news: it's only the second worldwide, and won't it be further & faster?
I'll be honest, I don't quite trust the chinese one: look at this picture of the cabin, I'm fairly sure that's an extension cord...
A fan and something that looks suspiciously like a phone-charger are hardly essential equipment. An extension cord is fine.
Lol, at first sight it looks more like the desk of a city trader or something. Although he does seem to be rather focussed on the screen considering its meant to be travelling at more than 300mph...
[The Shanghai Maglev] is notable for being the first commercial high-speed maglev line in the world
I wouldn´t call the Shanghai Maglev "commercial". In fact, it´s just another (loss-making) demonstration installation and test bed for that particular technology.
Plus they're reputation builders and economic catalysts. The businessman on his way back from that international convention in Shanghai will have his last impression of China riding on a 500kph train. And that's a very powerful advertising tool for the country.
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The "Shanghai Maglev" was never planned as a "commercial line", but as an evaluator for a "real" maglev line to be built by the Chinese. Which had been printed over and over again during the negotiation and building stages of that (and other) maglev lines.
An airport shuttle is the definitive evaluator for maglevs, see Munich.
Ah - I suppose that makes sense. The Japanese have had their evaluator line running for quite a while although I suppose it will be incorporated into the actual Chuo Shinkansen line when construction starts.
In that case I wonder how much support the Shanghai shuttle got from Siemens? Obviously it's a great showcase for Siemens too and I'd be surprised if China paid full price for the technology.
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JamieLei wrote:
In that case I wonder how much support the Shanghai shuttle got from Siemens? Obviously it's a great showcase for Siemens too and I'd be surprised if China paid full price for the technology.
