Japan is testing the world's fastest bullet train – the 400km/h Alfa-X
By Businessweek , May 10 2019
Japan is pushing the limits of rail travel as it begins testing the fastest-ever shinkansen bullet train, capable of speeds of as much as 400km/h (249 miles per hour).
Called the Alfa-X, the train is scheduled to go into service in 2030. Rail company JR East plans to operate it at 360km/h. That would make it 10km/h faster than China’s Fuxing Hao, which links Beijing and Shanghai and has the same top speed.
The Alfa-X – which stands for Advanced Labs for Frontline Activity in rail eXperimentation – is based on JR’s E5 platform, which already operates on major routes in Japan.
To cope with massive wind resistance when entering tunnels, the Alfa-X’s first car will mostly be a sleek nose, measuring 22 meters (72 feet).
But stopping is just as important as speed. In addition to conventional brakes, the Alfa-X bullet train will have air brakes on the roof and use magnetic plates near the rails to slow down.
It will also be fitted with dampers and air suspension to keep it stable when traversing curves, maintaining its balance and comfort for passengers.
With just three windows, there looks to be hardly any space, if at all, for passengers in the front.
Painted in metallic silver with green stripes, the 10-car bullet train began test runs this week between the cities of Aomori and Sendai at night, to be conducted over three years.
Japan’s bullet trains, which made their debut in the same year as the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, have become a symbol of the country’s focus on efficiency and reliability.
Shinkansens are rarely late, even though they depart Tokyo Station every few minutes for Osaka, Kyoto and other destinations across the archipelago, making them a viable alternative to air travel. The Alfa-X is a key part of a plan to offer faster services to Sapporo, the biggest city on the northernmost island of Hokkaido.
"The development of the next-generation shinkansen is based on the key concepts of superior performance, a high level of comfort, a superior operating environment and innovative maintenance," says the East Japan Railway, better known as JR East.
Although the Alfa-X holds the title of the world’s fastest train right now, it may already be dethroned by the time it goes into service.
That’s because a new maglev line is being built between Tokyo and Nagoya with operations starting in 2027.
Traveling mostly through deep tunnels, the magnetically levitated train will travel at a top speed of 505km/h, cutting the time between the two cities to 40 minutes, from the current 110 minutes.
01 Nov 2018
Total posts 81
Will Australia ever get get get a bullet train, would be nice if we did
30 Jul 2015
Total posts 134
i don't think so unfortunately, political bias on both sides prevents high speed rail from ever getting off the ground. Political bias of infrastructure projects does not happen in Asia and Europe.
25 Nov 2016
Total posts 43
May I ask what is "political bias" and why can't we work together to get rid of this bias if it is preventing Australia from building a high speed network?
30 Jul 2015
Total posts 134
perhaps there are politicians on both sides that are pocketed by the oil, auto, aviation and gas industries. Also some MP's in areas that the rail line will pass through could have a NIMBY attitude.
05 Jan 2018
Total posts 57
funny. the total lack of a viable business case for high speed rail in AU certainly has nothing to do with it I'm sure.
Cathay Pacific - The Marco Polo Club
11 Jun 2018
Total posts 25
It would take tens of years and billions of budget. Just take a look at the Sydney light rail construction.
07 Jun 2016
Total posts 29
I don’t think I read the news that said that travel between Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane was going to stop within the next 10-20 years.
Etihad - Etihad Guest
11 May 2019
Total posts 6
Etihad - Etihad Guest
11 May 2019
Total posts 6
05 Jan 2018
Total posts 57
Spot on. Trains in Sydney run slower today (on avg) than they did 50yrs ago according to my local station manager. Anecdotally, on a recent trip Melbourne to Bendigo, the train speeds were appalling. Perhaps existing infra could be 'hardened' to perform better before we start spending billions on projects that will get patronage from only a tiny minority of us.
13 Apr 2018
Total posts 14
Don't hold your breath. Nigeria will get a bullet train before Australia does.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
13 Jan 2015
Total posts 584
Mate the bloody penguins in antartica will get HSR before us
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
04 Nov 2011
Total posts 361
All the Nigerian scammers are tipping their cash into rail infrastructure. We need to start scamming...
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
09 Feb 2015
Total posts 382
While Japan builds, we talk and make glossy brochures.
05 Dec 2018
Total posts 148
Melbourne regular train to the airport would be a good start.
20 Jan 2017
Total posts 45
Started testing now with introduction in 2030? Knowing the Japanese it'll be ready in half that time. Such a great way to travel.
12 Jun 2014
Total posts 71
We need a Monorail in Australia not a bullet train!
“Waddya we want, a monorail,
when doya want it Now!”
05 Dec 2018
Total posts 148
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
22 May 2018
Total posts 68
Germany has it's ICE, capable of 300kph.. it does it at times, but those sections are becoming fewer.. Why? you might ask.. well going from Munich to Berlin last year I was sitting across from 6 guys with computers moving data about.. It piqued my interest.. found out the they were the train planners devising the following years timetables. You might think that it wouldn't change much... but the local pollies are under pressure from mayors and others in their electorates.. the high speed trains must stop in their towns or else (votes!).
So you have a train capable of 300kph.. having to slow down and stop (10mins).. at the station 3 mins (no-one gets off or on) and then takes 15 mins to get back to full speed...
With out political situation the same will happen here..so hi speed rail will become a 22nd century joke (can't see it being built before).
So ..in short to experience hi speed rail that is actually running we need to go to either Japan or China//
05 Dec 2018
Total posts 148
I would rather Australia just work on improving current transport offering within and getting to CBD locations for the suburbs.
Etihad - Etihad Guest
12 May 2019
Total posts 2
I have spent my hours on the Shinkansen and it is a wonderful system. But the system only works if you have at least 1 million people at each stop on the line. And this is required on the line not at the end points. You can find heaps of information from the Japanese on the costings and service requirements. And when applied to Australia the system would never make money. And even so you would have to build it, with all the nimby's and greenies the court cases holding it up it would never get build.
Emirates Airlines - Skywards
30 Nov 2015
Total posts 730
Gee, those High Speed tracks look pretty rusty....
Etihad - Etihad Guest
12 May 2019
Total posts 2
Never seen the shinkanzen tracks have you sgb? This was taken at a works depot so does not have traffic. The real tracks have one train every 8 minutes on the Osaka Tokyo line and those tracks are in top condition but I assume by your tone that you are wanting to find fault with their system.
07 Mar 2017
Total posts 59
Why are there two different trains shown? Which is the relevant one to the article?
THAI / STAR ALLIANCE
20 May 2011
Total posts 13
" Why are there two different trains shown? Which is the relevant one to the article. " They are probably testing different designs to see which one works the best .
THAI / STAR ALLIANCE
20 May 2011
Total posts 13
We will never have High Speed Rail in Australia. Too small a population, and not enough traveling people to support it. I have traveled on all the high speed trains in Japan, China, Korea and Taiwan. They are great, but, i cant see it happening here. I looked at south bound Shinkansen time table in Tokyo once. In the peak morning period, I recall seeing something like 17 trains in one hour. Nozomi, Hikari and Kodama.
Qatar Airways
06 Jul 2016
Total posts 47
I love Japan's Shinkansen, and was very impressed with the Fuxing between Shanghai and Beijing last year. Photo from on board (Business Class) shows we got to 353kph
12 Oct 2018
Total posts 17
Pretty sure business class goes at the same speed as economy class.
THAI / STAR ALLIANCE
20 May 2011
Total posts 13
I meant to take the Fuxing from Beijing to Shanghai last November. Got confused with the train names, and, as there was a huge queue of people waiting to purchase tickets, I ended up on the 300 km/ hour train instead. I wont make that mistake again. I did purchase a model of the Fuxing train at the Railway Museum situated opposite the Forbidden City in Beijing.
15 Mar 2017
Total posts 1
Great story. I’d just love to see a train from Melbourne to the airport. 😂😂😂
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
23 May 2018
Total posts 21
The Maglev ride was the highlight of my Shanghai trip last month. This looks just as exciting
20 Jan 2016
Total posts 3
Just returned from 3 weeks in Japan and experienced the full suite of train services between/in Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, and Osaka, including local, rapid express, shinkansen, monorail and metro networks. What an amazing network - speed, precise timetables, cleanliness of trains and stations (even in small regional towns), helpful station staff, easy ticketing processes and very effective movement of passengers between various networks, especially in Tokyo and Osaka, with 38 million and 8 million inhabitants respectively. Just shows what is possible with planning and a can do/must do attitude by governments and urban planners. Population size and concentration of urbanisation makes train networks the preferred travel option, but effective train networks also make a major contribution to the well-being of the population. In the past 2-3 decades in Australia, governments and all levels seem to concentrate on why something can't/can't be done and the financial cost of providing the necessary infrastructure services to the population, i.e trains, metro train systems, electricity, roads, airports, etc, rather than what is needed to improve social amenity for the population in general and how to deliver these. Sadly, the comments on this article, reflect this same can't do attitude. As an Australian Border Force officer noted when I arrived back in Australia and put my bags through the security screening process and I asked whether to remove my belt buckle, the reply was, "No leave it on, You're back in Australia now, give it a crack". So, let's give it a crack and work out how when can build a fast train between Sydney and Melbourne.
Hi Guest, join in the discussion on Japan is testing the world's fastest bullet train – the 400km/h Alfa-X