September 1, 2013 – It will take 95 minutes to go from Tokyo to Nagoya when Japan completes the building of its new maglev train which will operate at speeds of 500 kilometers (310 miles) per hour. Work begins in April 2014 with the completion date 2027.
For a sense of just how fast this train goes watch the YouTube posted video. Built at a cost of $52 billion U.S. the first 24 kilometer (15 mile) test track is complete. The remainder of the line will require tunneling through the Japanese Alps and under the City of Tokyo’s many tall buildings.
It is expected that 248 kilometers (155 miles) of tunnels will have to be dug to ensure that the maglev rail lines run almost perfectly straight. That’s because maglev speed degrades if there are lots of curves.
One unique aspect of Japan’s new maglev train is that it won’t require government financing. Central Japan Railway Company intends to fund the project based on cash flow, loans and bonds.
For more information you can read the Bloomberg posting of August 29.
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At a distance of 442 km between the two cities, assuming the track is fairly straight, and a 500 km/h cruising speed with three minutes’ acceleration and deceleration at either end, travel time should be somewhere in the area of 52-58 minutes. 95 minutes, with a 500 km/h cruising speed, would take the route well beyond Osaka. The 95 minutes given here implies a cruising speed well below 500…
Ultimately the maglev will go to Osaka. The 95 minute reference comes from the press release put out by the rail company. In that same release they talk about the eventual extension beyond Tokyo which would mean the terminus is Osaka. But the completion date mentioned was 2035. Who knows what maglev technology will be like then and what speeds these trains will be capable of traveling?