For what Japan has already established for itself in the field of technology, one might possibly imagine who else could beat Japan in this field but itself? And while we can only wait for an answer to this, Japan obviously does not simply want to rest on its laurels. With their sights set on the future, they are paving the way to the future of international public transportation by introducing another first once again.
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While it’s not a question of who does better than who, the fact that Japan has been one of the known hotbeds of innovation and technology speaks not only about its contributions to the world’s firsts but now, it’s also a matter of quality that these come with. Japan has become a brand in itself, mostly known for its quality and emphasis on convenience and practicality.
‘World’s Fastest Bullet Train’ Undergoes Test Runs in Japan
The latest shinkansen bullet train from Japanese rail operator JR East began test operation on May 10 (Friday), with its top speed expected to exceed the fastest now in service by at least 40 kph, as shared in a report by Nikkei.
Green stripes provide accent on the Alfa-X’s bluish-silver body, featuring a 22-meter nose on the front car – the longest for a shinkansen. JR East, formally East Japan Railway, previewed the full 250-meter, 10-car version for the media last May 9 at a Miyagi Prefecture facility.
The latest offering of Japan’s railway transport provider boasts of top speeds up to 360 kph, besting the 320 kph speed of the E5 series shinkansen currently running in Japan and TGV bullet trains in France.
Accordingly, the Alfa-X will be tested on the Tohoku shinkansen line between the cities of Sendai and Aomori in northeastern Japan.
The trials are scheduled to take place late at night approximately twice a week. The first phase, which aims to gauge the feasibility of a 360 kph cruising speed, will run until fiscal 2021. Second-phase trials geared toward launching commercial operation will kick off the following year.
Meanwhile, this year has been quite exciting for citizens as well as those who are targeting Japan as their new place of work starting this year. Furthermore, major events are lined up starting the 4th quarter of 2019, which are also expected to draw in massive numbers of tourists for the World Rugby Cup up until summer of 2020 for the Tokyo Games on top of the steadily growing number of foreign visitors from all parts of the world, but mostly from China.
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