Chūō Shinkansen

File:Chuo-Shinkansen.png

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

Chuo Shinkansen (中央新幹線) is a proposed maglev line connecting Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka, Japan. Although planning and construction have not begun, an eighteen-kilometer test track has been built between Otsuki and Tsuru, Yamanashi Prefecture, which may be integrated into the line at a later date. The trains currently being tested have operating speeds of over 500 km/h, making the Chuo Shinkansen the world's fastest railway.

The Chuo Shinkansen's proposed route follows the Chuo Main Line between Tokyo and Nagoya, and the Kansai Main Line between Nagoya and Osaka. The great expense in blasting tunnels through the mountains of central Japan has led many observers to speculate that the project would be a white elephant that could never recoup its costs if it were actually built. According to an International Railway Journal article in May 2003, estimates put the total cost of the Chuo Shinkansen at US$82.5 billion.

On December 2, 2003, this three-car train set a world record speed of 581 km/h in a manned vehicle run. Efforts are now underway to reduce cost and verify long-term durability and safety.

The line is occasionally referred to as the Linear Shinkansen because of the use of a linear motor as its method of propulsion.

See also

• JR-Maglev
• Magnetic levitation train
• Transrapid
• Aérotrain
• High-speed rail

Further Reading

Christopher P. Hood, Shinkansen – From Bullet Train to Symbol of Modern Japan, 2006, London: Routledge, ISBN 0415320526.

External links

• Central Japan Railway's information about the Chuo Shinkansen
• Linear Chuo Express (in Japanese)