- A Japanese train broke its own world speed record when
engineers sent it hurtling 347mph down a test track west of Tokyo.
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- The magnetically levitated (maglev) MLX01 raced to its
new record with nobody on board.
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- Engineers at the 11-mile test track near the city of
Kofu controlled the train remotely.
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- In 1999, when it clocked the previous fastest maglev
speed of 343mph, there were 13 people on board.
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- Maglev trains differ from conventional trains in that
magnets lift them slightly off the ground, eliminating speed-reducing friction
with the tracks.
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- The MLX01 is part of a £1bn government-financed
project to develop faster trains for a country that is already home to
some of the world's speediest.
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- Japan's Shinkansen 'bullet trains' run up to 186mph,
and have reached speeds of 275mph in test runs conducted in 1996.
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- Germany has developed a maglev train, which made its
commercial debut in Shanghai, China, last year.
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- The United States is planning to build its first commercial
maglev at a yet-to-be selected location.
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- http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30200-12928751,00.html
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