Our world is definitely getting more and more connected these days, and I am not referring only to the ever shortening digital divide, but rather, the network of transportation. Low cost airlines have made it possible for folks to travel to countries where they never dreamed of being able to do without blowing the family’s budget, and Japan, a country where traveling by rail has been the norm for the longest time, is now testing out the new generation of L0 trains that will rely on magnetic levitation technology (maglev for short) in order to achieve record breaking speeds. We are talking about going faster than 310mph, and these L0 trains are scheduled to enter service from 2027 onwards, connecting Tokyo with Nagoya. This means the trip of 218 miles (351 kilometers) will take a mere 40 minutes, which is less than half of the current 90 minutes.
There are other high-speed trains in different countries around the world, including those in South Korea, China and throughout Europe, where they tend to travel at speeds which are more than 200 mph (322 km/h). For folks living Stateside, 310mph is a top speed that we can only dream of at the moment, since Amtrak’s Acela line is “only” able to travel at 150 mph (241 km/h), tops.