Posted on 06/05/2013 9:27:31 AM PDT by EveningStar
Edited on 06/05/2013 9:52:00 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
The trains use magnetic levitation technology instead of wheels ...
Japan's floating bullet trains - which will travel at up speeds of up to 311mph - have undergone their first test runs.
The magnetic levitation, or 'maglev' trains, use state-of-the-art technology to reach mind-blowing speeds ...
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
It starts off slowly, building up speed over about 2.5 minutes and then runs flat out for about 7 minutes and then decelerates over 2.5 minutes (as I recall). The changes in velocity are no greater than on a regular train.
In the event of a power failure, on board batteries keep it levitated in the magnetic field.
They left those EMERGENCY STOP HANDLES out of the passenger compartments.
The track is straight as an arrow and level as a calm lake.
The train is limited to, iirc, 185 mph, due to the limited length of track between the two terminals.
They don't have brakes, no auto vs. train crossings, no cows or kids on the tracks.
It's more of a roller coaster car on a 300 mile long railgun. The brakes are at the loading/unloading platform.
It starts off slowly, building up speed over about 2.5 minutes and then runs flat out for about 7 minutes and then decelerates over 2.5 minutes (as I recall). The changes in velocity are no greater than on a regular train.
In the event of a power failure, on board batteries keep it levitated in the magnetic field.
At that speed... the windshield will probably be covered with blood, and the nearby carnivores will have a feast. And that is only if the Moose hits square, and is laying on the 'track'. If he's standing up, he will be shot over the 'cockpit', bouncing off the roof of the last car. The passengers might feel a slight 'jolt'.
Looking at the design, they cannot run 'off the rail', like normal trains can.
However, roller coaster cars are designed NOT to come off the rails either.
These are going to be at ground level in the middle of populated areas moving at aircraft speeds.
And there will be accidents no matter how invincible the technology, as the Titanic proved.
They can build nice things because they don’t have ANY MOSQUES in Japan!
They won’t be at ground level in populated areas, they’ll be elevated in population zones. Actually they’ll be elevated everywhere because you really don’t want random crap on high speed tracks, but they’ll be higher in population zones because these things simply can’t interact with street traffic. There’s nothing new about maglev, the only thing new here is the speed.
Fifty feet above ground level is the same as ground level when the debris begins to fly.
I hated to see old Willie Green go. He was fun to play with, like a slice of DU without having to wade through all the other crap.
I know. I went round with him a few times "back in the day".
In these days of virtuality, there seems to be less need for speedy trips. Economical travel seems to have (obviously) value still.
I'd guess that air travel (relatively low infrastructure investments) is more economical than HS rail. Of course the TSA has screwed up efficient business air travel over the days of OJ running down the concourse.
Gov't funded Peeps were playing with model maglev tranz at the F N Bitter National Magnet Lab in the late 60's.
Good question. I’m curious about what happens to a train at 300+ MPH off the track.
You end up with a very dead moose.
Moose mousse?
Japan has been known to have some nasty earthquakes. If that thing comes off the rails at 300 mph? Carnage baby. There won't be to many walking away from that train wreck.
“Japan’s floating bullet trains - which will travel at up speeds of up to 311mph” [on a good day]
Modern jet airliners travel at an average of 575mph.
This new train is reported to be planned to make the Tokyo to Nagoya trip in 40 minutes, from the present 90 minutes.
Frequent jet flights NOW between Tokyo and Nagoya take 29 minutes, carry hundreds of passengers at a time with express airport-to-city-center rail connections at both ends.
And, the infrastructure costs per-passenger mile of airports is many times less than the infrastructure costs per passenger mile for trains of any sort. [given in part due to how a single airport supports MANY, MANY multiple route streams and a train line only supports one route stream].
The modern age requires a new development paradigm - decentralization and dispersion.
High speed rail is the Concourse program for the new millennium.
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