Story highlights
Japanese maglev train sets new speed record: 603 kilometers per hour
The train is planned to begin service in 2027
It’s a bird – It’s a plane – It’s an insanely fast Japanese bullet train.
A Japan Railway maglev train hit 603 kilometers per hour (374 miles per hour) on an experimental track in Yamanashi Tuesday, setting a decisive new world record.
A spokesperson said the train spent 10.8 seconds traveling above 600 kilometers per hour, during which it covered 1.8 kilometers (1.1 miles).
That’s nearly 20 football fields in the time it took you to read the last two sentences.
Takeo Ookanda, who runs an exhibition center next to the test track, said witnesses erupted with excitement and applause when the new record was set.
“I was moved just like many other visitors here today,” he told CNN. “This maglev project… (increases) the hope that Japan can have a good growth again in the future.”
Fastest in the world
The train broke its own record from last Thursday, when it ran at 590 kilometers per hour (366 miles per hour) on a test track.
