Japan's maglev train runs test at over 310 mph (with video)
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Re: Japan's maglev train runs test at over 310 mph (with video)
#2That makes me curious what the braking performance and stopping distance is relative to normal trains and at different speeds.
Re: Japan's maglev train runs test at over 310 mph (with video)
#3That makes me curious what the braking performance and stopping distance is relative to normal trains and at different speeds.
A quick look at wikipedia[1] shows that these trains often have regenerative braking which means you can have both the wheels and the maglev system stopping the train. So at the same speeds these should be able to brake faster than traditional trains.
I assume these have the potential of going significantly faster than normal trains making braking harder. In this test though they didn't reach even the peak speed of normal trains. Apparently the french TGV has the record for normal trains at 575km/h[2] (vs 500km/h in this test) even though normal operation is "only" 320km/h.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maglev#Power_and_energy_usage
Re: Japan's maglev train runs test at over 310 mph (with video)
#4Not bad, it's not completely clear from the article but checking wikipedia L0 should be a "production" maglev, similar to Shanghai's Transrapid (except Transrapid's maximum operating speed is 410km/h. It did reach 501km/h in early test runs but doesn't reach that on scheduled traffic).
It's good to see that tech finally get in production (Japan's maglev demonstrators first breached 500km/h in 1979).
FWIW, if all goes well the L0 should be used in the (planned) Chuo-Shinkansen line going straight from Tokyo to Osaka through Nagoya in 67mn: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuo_Shinkansen (the fastest runs on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen currently take 2h25)
Re: Japan's maglev train runs test at over 310 mph (with video)
#5That makes me curious what the braking performance and stopping distance is relative to normal trains and at different speeds.
A quick look at wikipedia[1] shows that these trains often have regenerative braking which means you can have both the wheels and the maglev system stopping the train. So at the same speeds these should be able to brake faster than traditional trains. I assume these have the potential of going significantly faster than normal trains making braking harder. In this test though they didn't reach even the peak speed of n…
The difference is that the TGV you mentioned was a highly modified version just for this speed record. The L0 [1] shown in the video is planned to be the production train and run 500km/h in actual service.
Re: Japan's maglev train runs test at over 310 mph (with video)
#6I wish this mode of transportation would be practical and affordable here in the US. I like the light rail in Denver, and the subways in San Francisco. Made getting around town really easy and affordable. Unfortunately with the distance between cities here it is more practical to take a flight.
Re: Japan's maglev train runs test at over 310 mph (with video)
#7It's only going to be ready by 2045? Won't better tech be developed in that timeframe making this train obsolete?
Re: Japan's maglev train runs test at over 310 mph (with video)
#8That makes me curious what the braking performance and stopping distance is relative to normal trains and at different speeds.
A quick look at wikipedia[1] shows that these trains often have regenerative braking which means you can have both the wheels and the maglev system stopping the train. So at the same speeds these should be able to brake faster than traditional trains. I assume these have the potential of going significantly faster than normal trains making braking harder. In this test though they didn't reach even the peak speed of n…
575km/h is hardly the peak speed of "normal" trains, V150 was a custom trainset (higher than normal power output, AGV bogies on a POS trainset and 3 cars to the standard 8) and running on a prepared track (increased catenary mechanical tension to handle the speed, and increased voltage from the standard 25kV to 31kV for increased power)
Also note that the MLX01 demonstrator (a better equivalent to the customized trainset used in the TGV record) has reached 581km/h. It's also done so on the 42km Yamanashi Maglev Test Line where V150's run took a ~140km section of (non-test) track.
Re: Japan's maglev train runs test at over 310 mph (with video)
#9It's only going to be ready by 2045? Won't better tech be developed in that timeframe making this train obsolete?
The core of today's HST tech dates back to the 50s (the 0-series Shinkansen, the latest of which was only retired in 2008, went in service in 1964).
And the first section of Chūō Shinkansen should be open in 2027, with partial opening possible as soon as 2020.
FWIW, even standard (non-maglev) high-speed rail construction are not short-term projects, the 300km LGV Est Phase 1 took 5 years between the initial earthworks and the line's opening and France isn't exactly as mountainous as Japan.
Re: Japan's maglev train runs test at over 310 mph (with video)
#10It's only going to be ready by 2045? Won't better tech be developed in that timeframe making this train obsolete?
It takes time to vet, test, and build things, especially when representative government and massive land usage planning is involved. Much of the tech in modern airplanes is still from the 1950s and 1960s. The tech developed in the 2020s and 2030s will be in the trains of the 2050s-60s.