Japan Plans To Complete 'World's Fastest Train' By 2045

President Obama has been talking about building a high-speed rail system in this country practically since he took office, an ambitious plan that would potentially connect Chicago to St. Louis, Orlando to Miami and Portland to Seattle, among other big urban areas in the country.

Last week, the administration called for Congress to authorize a huge system that would cost $53 billion over a six-year span.

It seems, though, that we've been beaten to the punch: The New York Times reports that the Central Japan Railway Company will proceed with plans to build the fastest train the world, linking Tokyo and Nagoya. China has already laid claim to the fastest train the world, with top speeds of 220 miles per hour.

The line, which will cost roughly $64 billion, will run at speeds at around 310 miles per hour (which will reduce travel time from 95 to 40 minutes), making it the new fastest train on earth.
The train will use magnets to reduce friction and increase speed.

The one major catch: Japan aims to complete the line by 2045--at which point it will likely no longer hold the title of 'world's fastest.'

Comments

[FoxIslander]

04:16 PM on 02/25/2011

...the top 5% don't use trains...hence we won't build it...can't be wasting good money on the lesser classes.

[exile]

05:56 PM on 02/18/2011

much better than florida's large and unimpressive 1985 cadillacs

[jtabs]

03:45 PM on 02/18/2011

Yeah but we'll have the slowest and dirtiest one.

[LogicJack]

10:44 AM on 02/18/2011

leave it to Japan to come up with a platapus train lol

[DanSc]

11:52 PM on 02/17/2011

If we can put a man on the moon in a little over 10 years after first flying into space, they can build that train by 2045.

[StopMakingSense2]

03:17 PM on 02/17/2011

Well we can be proud of republicans engineering the fastest demise of a first world country on record. Too bad their isn't much land suitable for bananas in our republic.. Top that Japan!

[builderman55]

12:52 PM on 02/17/2011

How cool would it be to be able to take a train from the West to the East coast in less than 24 hours. So preferable to the airlines!

[henrypapillon]

09:39 AM on 02/17/2011

So it's taking them 35 years to do this?

[mike72]

12:59 PM on 02/17/2011

There are no cheap labor in Japan. Due to their low birth rate and their unwillingness to take in foreign labors, it is very difficult for Japan to undertake any massive infrastructure projects.

[bleedingheart9]

12:22 AM on 02/17/2011

too bad us governors aren't interested, FL

[WestCoastftw]

06:32 AM on 02/17/2011

Only too bad for Florida, there is plenty of other high traffic corridors that can use the funds for HSR.

[duxguts]

11:45 PM on 02/16/2011

I propose that by the end of this decade we send a man across the street and bring him back safely.

[TYRANNASAURUS]

06:40 PM on 02/16/2011

Japan Plans To Complete 'World's Fastest Train' By 2045......

They better do it sooner than that....... by 2045 a fast train will not help them escape a rapidly moving global warming onslaught.

[HeadAches]

02:46 PM on 02/16/2011

Oh I forgot...

For those who have never had the pleasure of riding or even see a high speed train in action, ride along aboard the Shanghai Maglev train: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8e4xtIJAFn0

[HeadAches]

02:43 PM on 02/16/2011

And all while locally here in Florida, the new criminal governor have scrapped all high speed train plans, making Florida looking more and more like Botswana...

[Nel Pineda]

11:45 PM on 02/16/2011

I love Florida, I live here too in Orlando. But unfortunately electing Lex luther as our governor is a big mistake.

[msbeal]

12:53 PM on 02/16/2011

It's unAmerican to ride a train. Americans prefer dragging 5,000 lbs of steel encased living rooms around with them.

[Erewhon7]

01:04 PM on 02/16/2011

U.S. used to have the most extensive train system in the world. Sigh...

[thwartedvillainy]

11:21 PM on 02/16/2011

Then GM, Standard Oil, and Firestone had their say and guess what, America? They screwed you, big time. Corporations never serve the public interest.

[vascopyjama]

12:03 AM on 02/17/2011

Yes you are right, it was built by the Chinese with US money. Remind you of something.

[msbeal]

12:50 PM on 02/16/2011

Why doesn't commuter mass transit in places like LA pencil out a whole lot better than long distance routes.

It just seems to me 15,000 buses for LA would yield more saved gas and oil. The idea being that amost everyone should be able to walk to the end of their block and within a reasonable time, with reasonable transfers over reach another place in LA.

I use LA because it's a city I'm familiar with. I can't even imagine how much gas is used in LA every week particularly on simple commuting to work.

[Erewhon7]

01:08 PM on 02/16/2011

L.A. would be the worst city to wean people off their cars.
L.A.. with its mulpiplicity of de-centralized hubs and population centers has to be radically redesing and recosntructed in order to make it viable for mass transit.
The best place for mass transit are cities with dense urban concentrations-- San Francisco, New York, Chicago etc. And that's why mass transit is very successful in those cities.

[msbeal]

02:18 PM on 02/16/2011

I hear you.

I no longer live near LA but I think if we could succeed there we can do it anywhere. I wonder what city consumes the most commuter gas. LA has got to be right up there.

I once stood high above looking down at a freeway morning commute for five minutes in LA. It's mind boggling how much energy goes into getting people to work and back.