Chūō Shinkansen

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Proposed Chuo Shinkansen route (gray) and existing Tokaido Shinkansen route (gold).

Chūō Shinkansen (中央新幹線) is a proposed maglev line connecting Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka, Japan, a culmination of the maglev development since the 1970's, a government funded project initiated by Japan Airlines and the former JNR. JR Central now operates the facilities and research. The trainsets themselves are popularly known in Japan as "linear car" (リニアーカー), though there have been many technical variations.

1 Yamanashi Test Track
2 Route Choice
3 Costs
4 Technical
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Yamanashi Test Track

Formerly, a test track was built in Miyazaki Prefecture for maglev research and development in the 1970's. After many successes, an eighteen-kilometer test track with tunnels and bridges and slopes has been built between Otsuki and Tsuru, Yamanashi Prefecture. Although exact route planning and construction for the line have not begun, the Yamanashi track may be integrated into the line at a later date. The trainsets currently being tested for durability and cost reduction, and have operating speeds of over 500 km/h (310 mph), making the Chūō Shinkansen the world's fastest railway. Citizens of Yamanashi Prefecture and government officials are eligible for free rides, and over 200,000 people have taken part.

[edit] Route Choice

The Chūō Shinkansen's proposed route follows the Chūō Main Line between Tokyo and Nagoya, and the Kansai Main Line between Nagoya and Osaka through many sparsely populated areas, but it was chosen as the Tōkaidō route is congested, and as a means of an alternative high speed evacuation of metropolitan areas in the event of an emergency. Maglev technology is unique in that it can climb uphill without any loss of speed (as magnetic force is stronger than gravity), hence its attractiveness for mountainous areas.

[edit] Costs

However, the great expense in blasting tunnels through the mountains of central Japan has led many observers to speculate that the project will not go forward as government debt exceeds 170% of GDP, and it would be a white elephant that could never recoup its costs if it were actually built, in addition to very high operational costs. According to an International Railway Journal article in May 2003, estimates put the total cost of the Chūō Shinkansen at US$ 82.5 billion [1]. However, implementing maglev through the coastal Tōkaidō route would require far less money but cause loud booms as trains enter tunnels at high speeds.

[edit] Technical

On December 2, 2003, MLX-01, a three-car train set a world record speed of 581 km/h (361 mph) in a manned vehicle run. It also passed another record of two trains passing each other at a combined 1026 km/h. The "linear" term is in reference to the use of a linear motor as its method of propulsion.