Japanese railway company starts testing high speed train speeds of 249 mph

This week, the JR East Japanese railway company presented its new Alfa-X, a high-speed train designed to reach a top speed of 400 km / h, making it the fastest commercial train in the world. In daily operations, the train carried passengers at 360 km / h or at about 224 mph.

On Friday, JR East will begin testing the Alfa-X, without passengers, on its railways. According to Bloomberg, the 10-car train will make the "night trip between the cities of Aomori and Sendai" for the next three years during a test phase. JR East hopes to use the Alfa-X for commercial purposes by 2030. According to Japan News, the line will eventually be extended to Sapporo.

This long delay suggests that another high-speed rail option may supplant the Alfa-X Shinkansen train with respect to commercial rail service.

Bloomberg notes that the rush rider for the high-speed crown could be a magnetic levitation train line built between Tokyo and Nagoya, which is expected to open in 2027. This train however enjoys a long route at maximum speed 505 km / h (314 mph). (This project has also been the subject of a scandal in 2018, even though it seems to be still ongoing.)

In addition, many startups are working on the marketing of a so-called Hyperloop. Hyperloop nacelles would go into a low pressure tube on magnetic levitation rails (or alternatively, air bearings) allowing them to reach theoretical speeds above 600 mph.

But since Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, launched the idea in 2013, few startups or teams have been able to achieve a speed record. Virgin Hyperloop One, arguably the best-funded start-up, is perhaps the closest: it has a test track outside Las Vegas where it was able to record a speed of 240 mph (386 km / h) in less than a quarter mile (300 meters)).

Ryan Kelly, Head of Marketing and Communications at Virgin Hyperloop One, told Ars by email today: "We have no doubt that we can at least double this figure in commercial operation."

For now, the Alfa-X has a nose that covers 22 meters to withstand wind resistance, and according to Bloomberg, it will have "air brakes on the roof and will also use magnetic plates near rails to slow down, In addition to conventional brakes. "

The information on the Alfa-X issued by JR East indicate that the train will be equipped with shock absorbers preventing sway, especially during an earthquake.