Maglev Trains between Tokyo & Osaka
Japan’s JR Rail plans to construct a high-speed train link between Tokyo and Osaka. The new trains, using Electro-dynamic Suspension (EDS) system which allows the train to hover above the track and reduces friction, could cut travel time between the two cities from 138 minutes to 67 minutes.
Fans of the Artdink train management game A-Train will be familiar with the concept of super-high budgets involved in rail development – the Maglev’s projected costs could run as high as 10 Trillion Yen.
JR Tokai released the estimated travel time, construction cost and passenger demand for its new Tokyo-Osaka bullet train project using maglev technology on Tuesday.
The results showed that the direct route (438 kilometers) proposed by JR Tokai is expected to connect the two cities in 67 minutes, compared with 74 minutes for a 498 kilometer route through the Southern Japan Alps mountain range backed by Nagano Prefecture.
The construction cost for the direct route is predicted to be around 8.44 trillion yen, while that for the longer route would be about 9.09 trillion yen.
A brief overview of Maglev research and development can be found HERE
23/10/2009 10:39 
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