QUOTE
TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) -- It's not as fast as a speeding bullet, but it is the fastest thing on rails. Or rather, above the rails.
Japan's so-called maglev train, which is levitated and propelled forward by magnetic force, is so fast it presses passengers back in their seats as it accelerates to 500 kilometers (310 miles) per hour in a little more than a minute.
Central Japan Railway Co, the company developing Japan's version of the train, is pushing for a commercial line between Tokyo and the western city of Osaka, a distance that is about the same as going from Washington to New York.
...
Except for one problem: There is currently only one station and just 18.4 kilometers (11.5 miles) of test track.
There are no current plans for building a maglev line despite nearly four decades of research, 15 years of testing and more than $2 billion invested, including government subsidies.
JR Central has said it is prepared to shoulder the operational costs, but it believes the government should pay the cost of building the infrastructure, which is estimated to be $64 billion to $77 billion, or upwards of $128 million per kilometer.
...
Besides Japan, Germany and the United States have tested maglev technology.
China in January started the world's first commercial high-speed maglev service between Shanghai's international airport and its financial district.
Detractors of a Japanese maglev system say travelers will not shell out the estimated ¥15,000 to ¥20,000 ($135-$180) for a one-way maglev ticket especially when a shinkansen costs ¥14,000 yen and a plane ticket costs as little as ¥10,000.
In Shanghai, ticket prices have already been slashed by a third because customers found the cost to be too high.
Japan's so-called maglev train, which is levitated and propelled forward by magnetic force, is so fast it presses passengers back in their seats as it accelerates to 500 kilometers (310 miles) per hour in a little more than a minute.
Central Japan Railway Co, the company developing Japan's version of the train, is pushing for a commercial line between Tokyo and the western city of Osaka, a distance that is about the same as going from Washington to New York.
...
Except for one problem: There is currently only one station and just 18.4 kilometers (11.5 miles) of test track.
There are no current plans for building a maglev line despite nearly four decades of research, 15 years of testing and more than $2 billion invested, including government subsidies.
JR Central has said it is prepared to shoulder the operational costs, but it believes the government should pay the cost of building the infrastructure, which is estimated to be $64 billion to $77 billion, or upwards of $128 million per kilometer.
...
Besides Japan, Germany and the United States have tested maglev technology.
China in January started the world's first commercial high-speed maglev service between Shanghai's international airport and its financial district.
Detractors of a Japanese maglev system say travelers will not shell out the estimated ¥15,000 to ¥20,000 ($135-$180) for a one-way maglev ticket especially when a shinkansen costs ¥14,000 yen and a plane ticket costs as little as ¥10,000.
In Shanghai, ticket prices have already been slashed by a third because customers found the cost to be too high.
