Tokyo will host the 2020 Olympic Games. As all countries that receive the event, Japan will invest in the construction and refurbishment of infrastructure. The most ambitious project is the construction of a high-speed rail line to a magnetic levitation train, the maglev, which reaches speeds of over 500 km/h, which makes this the fastest train in the world.
The line should connect Tokyo and Osaka, the two main Japanese cities, and have left for Nagoya, reports the Financial Times. If the project move forward, the two main Japanese cities, which are 500 kilometres, should be the 67 minutes away. Currently, the Shinkansen, the high-speed train that operates in Japan, takes two hours and thirty minutes to connect the two cities.
JR Central railway company who designed the implementation of SCMaglev (pictured), announced the investment in September, after a prototype of SCMaglev beat the speed record of 518 miles per hour, owned by another model from the same company.
The company hopes to begin building the first 350 miles from the stretch, which will connect Tokyo to Nagoya in 40 minutes, in 2014, and estimates that this section is operational in 2027. The total distance should be ready only in 2045.
The SCMaglev is a magnetic levitation train, which means the vehicle circulates to 10 inches from the ground, being propelled through attractive and repulsive forces using superconductors. Due to the lack of contact between the vehicle and the line, the only friction is air resistance exists. initially, before levitating train circulates under rubber wheels until it reaches the 100 miles per hour, the speed from which starts the process of levitation.
Although reaches high speeds, the train's safe, just like Japanese fast trains that already exist. The only obstacle to security can be earthquakes, which are common in Japan. However, the SCMaglev, like the rest of fast trains, has a system that stops the vehicle in case of earthquake.
Value of the investment can der impediment to construction
Despite being planned for construction to go ahead, the cost of the investment can be a brake. The project is budgeted at €65,6 billion, which raises doubts as to its viability. The land through which the line passes can also be a deterrent, since it will have to be built more than 250 kilometers in tunnels, many of which will go through the Japanese Alps.
"The profitability is not feasible between Tokyo and Nagoya, not with the amount you are investing, although it has some potential so that the line be extended to Osaka," said Ryota Himeno, an analyst from Barclays transport in Tokyo. "But call the two largest population centers, Tokyo and Osaka, with the potential for both leisure and business, can eventually pay for investment", he adds.
According to JR Central, so the line is terminated will be created a giant population Center of about 65 million people. The company indicates that the development of technology for SCMaglev will create jobs and boost the industry in the region.
After the line is fully operational, the intention of JR Central's TÅkaidÅ Shinkansen line remain active, since it carries almost 400 thousand passengers per day, making it the busiest high-speed line and profitable in the world. However, to maintain this functional line, the company will have to captivate the passenger manifests for the SCMaglev, in order to make the project economically viable.
Barclays analyst underlines the risks, but believes that the amount of the investment should boost Japan's GDP ".
Currently there are several projects on the table for the construction of this type of lines in various locations, but the high production cost has limited its implementation. Shanghai is the only city in the world with a commercial line of this type, the Shanghai maglev train. This line connects the suburbs of the city to the International Airport, about 30 kilometers Pundong in eight minutes. Journey tickets cost about € 6.6.
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