Japan has unveiled a prototype of a new magnetic levitation train with a top speed of 311mph, while Britain's trains are still not running in the South West, more than a week after the recent floods.
It has only been a year since JR Central was approved to begin construction of its linear motor car, but it has already unveiled a prototype that surpasses the Shinkansen.
The new L0 maglev train was unveiled today
The new train, unveiled today, will travel at a top speed of 311 mph and cut the 160-mile journey from Tokyo to Nagoya to just 40 minutes from an already fast 90 minutes. The train will have 16 cars and is designed to carry 1,000 passengers.
The new vehicles are scheduled to be transferred to the test line in Tsuru, Tokai, once construction on the extension to that line is completed next year.
The train is scheduled to start operating by 2027, with an extension to Osaka scheduled to open in 2045.
Also announced today is the new E6 Series Shinkansen, known as “Super Komachi.” Manufactured by East Japan Railway Company, the E6 Series will run between Tokyo and Akita at speeds of over 180 mph.
Japanese bullet train
Meanwhile, as millions of people stare at a future of either unemployment or a coffee, Britain's infrastructure continues to crumble, with hospitals, power stations and roads falling into ever greater disrepair and dilapidation.
Our nation's railways are becoming increasingly unable to cope with the vagaries of nature – a recent example being the line from Plymouth to Bristol which is still closed more than a week after recent flooding.
While Japan joins China in developing its maglev train, Britain is hurtling full speed towards an increasingly bleak future. Ironically, the turmoil we now find ourselves in is also offering us the greatest opportunity for optimism since the end of the Second World War.
A massive infrastructure build and upgrade programme, funded by national credit, and driving the first industrial base in decades, could deliver all the high-quality, long-term jobs we want, if we have the courage to demand them.
