Evansville Rail: Japan Flashes Green Signal for Maglev Train Line

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Japan Flashes Green Signal for Maglev Train Line

May 30, 2011

Read More: http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/may2...-05-30-01.html

The Japanese government has signaled Central Japan Railway "to proceed with construction" of its magnetically levitated train line between Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka. On May 27 Transport Minister Akihiro Ohata directed the company, known as JR Tokai, to move forward with the 9 trillion yen project that has been in development since the 1970s.

- In July 2009, Japan's Maglev Technological Practicality Evaluation Committee of Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism validated that the superconducting maglev trains are ready for revenue service. "The technologies of the Superconducting Maglev have been established comprehensively and systematically, which makes it possible to draw up detailed specifications and technological standards for revenue service," the committee said.

- Running at 505 kilometers (313 miles) per hour, the maglev trains will cover the distance between Tokyo and Nagoya in about 40 minutes. When the line is completed, maglev trains will travel the 514 km (320 mile) distance between Tokyo and Osaka in 67 minutes. The maglev trains are expected to start carrying passengers between Tokyo and Nagoya in 2027 and between Tokyo and Osaka in 2045.

- The ministry told JR Tokai to build the maglev infrastructure on an almost straight route, using underground tunnels to pass beneath the mountains that lie between Tokyo and Nagoya. In December, JR Tokai expects to begin an environmental assessment of the route running through the Akaishi Mountains, northwest of Mount Fuji. The company says construction is planned to start in 2014.

- Much of the project's 9 trillion yen budget is needed to construct the tunnels through which the trains will run for more than 60 percent of the entire line. Plans call for the tunnels to be built deep underground for a total of 100 km (60 miles) in the Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka areas.

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JR Tokai maglev train in the Yamanashi test line station

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Did You Know?

-An intercity high-speed passenger train is three times as energy efficient as commercial air, and six times as efficient as a car traveling with one occupant.

-Switching 5% of US highway travel to high-speed passenger rail would save more that one-sixth the amount of oil imported annually from the Middle East.

-High-Speed Rail service requires less land acquisition that other modes of travel. According to the Worldwatch Institute, two railroad tracks can carry as many people per hour as sixteen lanes of highway. Farmlands and environmentally-sensitive geography are preserved.

-One railway track mile uses 0.42 football field(s) worth of land compared to one highway mile that equals 1.10.

-One Virginia Railway Express commuter train can equal as many as 800 cars taken off the highway.

-One intermodal freight train can equal up to 300 tractor-trailers.

-For every $1 invested in public transportation such as intercity passenger rail, $4 is returned in economic development.

-One regional passenger train equals 4 regional planes

-For the cost of building a third airport in the Chicago area, a network of high-speed trains could be built in nine states and serve far more travelers.

-In addition, the cost of building quality interstate highways in urban areas cost between $15 and $20 Million per mile, while infrastructure for high-speed passenger trains traveling at 125 mph costs between $3 and $6 Million per mile.

-In over 35 years of operation, the high-speed passenger rail system, carrying over 6 million passengers a day, worldwide, has only had a few minor incidents and one fatal accident.

-In the United States, Amtrak's Metroliner, a passenger train traveling at 125 Mph between New York and Washington, has had no passenger fatalities since it was established in 1986. Compare that to 500,000 motor vehicle fatalities in the United States since 1986.

-High-speed trains speed travelers from city center to city center. For most passengers, the rest of the trip is a simple walk or short taxi ride from the train station to their final destination.