Floating on air…Japan’s super-fast train. YouTube
In addition to the "floating" carriages that hover a few millimetres above the track, the train's elongated nose reduces wind resistance for quicker travel.
A super-fast Japanese train that floats above the tracks has completed its first run with passengers.
The maglev train (magnetic levitation) carried passengers between the Japanese cities of Uenohara and Fuefuki, reaching speeds of 311 mph.
The maglev train is designed for commuters; it can carry up to 1,000 passengers in 16 cars.
In addition to the "floating" carriages that hover a few millimetres above the track, the train's elongated nose reduces wind resistance for quicker travel.
The maglev model is being readied for commercial launch in 2017 and will carry passengers from Tokyo to Nagoya.
That journey typically takes about 80 minutes, but the maglev train's technology will cut that travel time in half.
Eurostar, operator of passenger trains between London and Paris, this week unveiled its e320 train, so called because it can reach a speed of 320 kilometers per hour (199 mph).