World's fastest bullet train 'Alfa-X' starts test run in Japan
Last updated on: 10 May,2019 09:01 pm
Rail Company JR East plans to operate it at the speed of 360km/h when it starts its service somewhere around 2030
(Web Desk) – World’s fastest bullet train started its test run in Japan to revolutionize the mode of transport. It is fastest ever train which capable of reaching 400km/h (249mph).
Earlier today, ALFA-X version of the Shinkansen- network of high-speed railway lines in Japan- started its test run today which is believed to worth three years of it.
Rail Company JR East plans to operate it at the speed of 360km/h when it starts its service somewhere around 2030, easily making it the fastest bullet ever.
Alfa-X is to be 10 km/h faster than the Fuxing Hao which is designed with same top speed features.
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). 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 begins test runs Friday between the cities of Aomori and Sendai at night, to be conducted over three years.
Alfa-X will be tested on the tracks between Sendai and Aomori which are 280kms away.
The test runs are expected to take place twice a week after midnight.
Alfa-X stands for “Advanced Labs for Frontline Activity in rail eXperimentation.”
The latest variant in Shinkansen is pushing the rail services towards future.
Its testing debut comes as Japan’s new high-speed Shinkansen N700S continues tests that began just over a year ago.
That model will enter operation in 2020, but its maximum speeds of 300 kph -- the same as other N700 series trains -- will be easily surpassed by the ALFA-X.
The flurry of new models coincides with Japan’s preparations to host the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
No matter what speeds the train achieves during its test runs, it won’t match the record-breaking pace of Japan Railway’s magnetic levitation, or maglev, train which hit 603 kph (374 mph) on an experimental track in 2015.