A Japanese magnetically levitated (maglev) train broke its own world speed record on Monday when engineers sent it hurtling at 560kph down a test track west of Tokyo.
At this speed, the train would travel from Johannesburg to Cape Town in just under three hours, and from Johannesburg to Pretoria in about six minutes.
The five-car MLX01, which clocked the previous fastest maglev speed of 552kph in April 1999, raced to its new record with nobody on board.
Engineers at the 18,4km long test track near the city of Kofu, 109km west of Tokyo, controlled the train remotely, said Mika Kamijo, a spokesperson for the Central Japan Railway Company.
Thirteen people were on board when the maglev set its previous speed record, Kamijo said.
Maglev trains differ from conventional trains in that magnets lift them slightly off the ground, eliminating speed-reducing friction with the tracks.
The MLX01 is part of a 190-billion yen ($1,74-billion) government-financed project to develop faster trains for a country that is already home to some of the world’s speediest.
Japan’s Shinkansen ”bullet trains” run up to 300kph, and have reached speeds of 443kph in test runs conducted in 1996.
Germany has developed a maglev train, which made its commercial debut in Shanghai, China, last year. With $1-billion in federal funds, the United States is planning to build its first commercial maglev at a yet-to-be selected location. — Sapa-AP