Inside plans for £67billion bullet train that can go 100mph faster than an F1 car and cover 226 miles in just 40 minutes
JAPAN is set to add another super bullet train to their impressive collection with the introduction of the Chuo Shinkansen.
The train is set to reach staggering speeds of up to 311mph and will cover 226miles in just 40 minutes when the whopping £67billion project is finally ready to take to the tracks.
Japan is already the home of the bullet train after the first one was made back in 1964 but the Chuo Shinkansen is set to be the most unique one yet.
Hurtling along at way over 300mph the train is 100mph quicker than an Formula One car and nearly two and a half times faster than your typical British train at full speed.
Almost 90 per cent of the journey will be within tunnels according to developers Central Japan Railway Company (CJRC).
The ridiculously smooth journey begins in Shinagawa Station in Japan’s bustling capital Tokyo.
Then it makes just four stops across the 226miles going through the Kanagawa Prefecture, Yamanashi Prefecture, Nagano Prefecture and Gifu Prefecture.
Before it ends at Nagoya Station just 40 minutes after it first set off.
Concept illustrations of the bullet train show it looking as streamlined as possible with a unique flat and slightly curved front.
It is very similar in style to the other high speed trains Japan use at the moment such as an L0 Series Maglev train.
It will also use revolutionary Superconducting Maglev technology to reach such speeds.
Bullet trains are a phenomenon in Asia for their super punctuality and expert safety.
Although Chuo Shinkansen is already pretty late after being promised to Tokyo travellers at some point before 2027.
But the company announced recently that plans have dramatically failed with the deadline being pushed back to 2034 at the earliest.
Japanese media has claimed even the seven year extension may be too far fetched however.
They claimed a CJRC senior executive said the ten-year construction plan is ultimately a perfect scenario but not one that’s realistic.
CJRC’s president, Shunsuke Niwa, said in a meeting at the Japanese transport ministry: “While we cannot project a new opening date, we will continue to do everything we can toward launching as soon as possible.”
Many of the stumbling blocks come from environmental campaigners rallying against the project.
But the project was given the green light by the Japanese government as it is set to help with serious train congestion in and out of Tokyo.
Another reason for the long wait comes from how the tunnels are being built.
In order to not disrupt Japan’s current train network the new line including tunnels will be built underneath the countries existing Shinkansen station.
One of the tunnels will have to be built under the southern Japanese Alps which will make it the deepest tunnel ever built in the country.
Other tunnels are expected to be built along Yamanashi and Shizuoka with them expected to be completed as early as 2025.
It comes as an out of this world train is set to be built on the moon.
The proposed rail system, supported by the US Department of Defence, would be able to transport both humans and supplies up to space.
But one of the quickest ever modes of transport could prove to be a mind-bending “train of the future”.
It will see passengers dart across countries at a staggering 700mph while contained in a vacuum-sealed tube.
The superfast shuttle, named the Hyperloop, is made up of high-speed pods that will shoot through a tube.
