Japan Maglev Train with high-speed technology 500km/h

Achieving World-Record Speeds through the Power of Magnets

The L0 model superconducting linear train (C)CENTRAL JAPAN RAILWAY COMPANY

The interior fittings of the L0 model superconducting linear train. (C)CENTRAL JAPAN RAILWAY COMPANY

Since the development of the Shinkansen bullet train in the 1960s, Japan has led the world in the field of advanced rail technology. The Linear High-Speed Train, which uses electromagnetic fields for extra-fast speeds, is Japan's latest breakthrough. After fifty years of development, a test version of the new technology recently recorded a speed of 581 kilometers per hour—a world record for a manned vehicle.

The train is driven by a new kind of motor called a superconducting linear motor. This works on the principle of magnets. As you probably know, the north and south poles of a magnet attract, whereas two poles that are the same (north and north, or south and south) repel each other. The new technology uses this principle to push the train forward, using the attracting and repelling forces created by coils in the tracks and magnets inside the train.

An illustration showing the train from above.

Fixed on the ground along with the propulsion coils that move the train forward are also other coils that lift and guide the train. When the magnets in the train run past the levitation coils, an electric current passes through these levitation guide coils, creating an electromagnetic field. The coils in the tracks and the train both produce a magnetic field, and the train is held in position by the pushing and pulling forces between these two magnetic fields. These same forces also help to keep the train positioned properly in the middle of the tracks. In the past, trains used friction generated between the wheels and the rails to drive them forward, but at high speeds this friction is lost, causing the wheels to idle and resulting in a loss of speed. With the new system, the train is suspended above the rails, making it possible to travel at higher speeds than ever regardless of friction.

A front-on view of the train.

Japan's Unique Superconducting Magnets

The latest improved version of the train in test stages, close to a commercially viable model. (C)CENTRAL JAPAN RAILWAY COMPANY

It takes an extremely strong magnet to lift a train into the air and move it forward at high speeds. Japan developed its own special superconducting magnets for this purpose. When you cool certain materials below a certain temperature, electrical resistance disappears. For the Linear High-Speed Train, a special kind of metal is cooled to -269ºC. This turns it into a superconductor. A superconductor is a material that produces no resistance when electricity flows through it. This superconductive metal is used in the coils of the new train, producing a strong magnetic force that continues as long as electricity flows through it. Using superconducting magnets boosts acceleration, enabling the train to reach speeds of 580 km/h within just 8.8 kilometers. Conventional magnets would barely be enough to lift a train even one centimeter off the ground, but the super-strong magnets used in the new train lift the superconducting linear train roughly ten centimeters in the air. Japan's Linear High-Speed Train is the only system in the world to lift a train so high. In most linear systems, the train is only lifted one centimeter or so off the ground. In others, only the motor power comes from magnets and the train itself does not lift off the ground but uses wheels like a normal train. Japan's system enables the train to run smoothly at high speeds, even over uneven ground. In the event of an earthquake, it also allows the train to operate safely until the train can be brought to a stop.

The train carriage that recorded the maximum speed of 581km per hour, the world record for a manned vehicle, is installed in Nagoya's SCMaglev and Railway Park in Aichi Prefecture, scheduled to open in March. (C)CENTRAL JAPAN RAILWAY COMPANY

At the moment, a commercial version of the Linear Chuo Shinkansen (Central Shinkansen Line) equipped with a superconducting linear motor is in the planning stages. A commercially viable "L0" train using the new technology is expected to be ready by 2013. The goal is to achieve an operating speed of 500km/h. This would reduce the travel time between Tokyo and Nagoya—a journey of 366 kilometers—to just 40 minutes, from 95 minutes today. The 515-kilometer journey between Tokyo and Osaka would be reduced from 145 minutes to just 67 minutes.