I rode the world's fastest train.

I thought maglev trains were a dead-end technology: but it looks like I was wrong. At JR Central's Yamanashi Maglev Test Track, I rode Japan's new maglev. ■ The maglev: scmaglev.jr-ce... ■ The exhibition centre: www.linear-mus...
Local producer: Yasuharu Matsuno at Mind Architect
Camera and edit: Julian Domanski
(This video has an English dub and limited audio description available. These are experimental and use AI-generated voices, so may not be perfect, and I can't promise they'll stay long-term. On supported devices, change the language option to use them!)
🟥 MORE FROM TOM: www.tomscott.com/
(you can find contact details and social links there too)
📰 WEEKLY NEWSLETTER with good stuff from the rest of the internet: www.tomscott.c...
❓ LATERAL, free weekly podcast: lateralcast.com/ / lateralcast
➕ TOM SCOTT PLUS: / tomscottplus
👥 THE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES: / techdif

[@TomScottGo]

I did consider whether to put mph or km/h in the thumbnail. Alas, that's not something I can localise to different regions yet...!

[@Kat21]

Hi Tom 👋

[@whosjulez1157]

When this question arises, the answer is alway metric

[@MASTERCRAFT938]

Hello there :D

[@SquidzitAce]

We can convert. 😎

[@blackholesun4942]

Maybe the solution is to use the UNIVERSAL constant of the speed of light 😁😁

[@dkaloger5720]

Tom Scott is truly making the most out of his trip to Japan .

[@thishandleistaken.]

He even met Chris Broad. I wonder if they're gonna make a collab

[@Jake28]

yup

[@mikaelpetersen1738]

Really hoping for a collab with Chris Broad though!

[@PrograError]

well... there's some stuff he won't be able to show to truly make it the most, and I don't mean the H

[@estateelite9284]

And why shouldn't he!

[@erikziak1249]

Tom is the perfect ad for any company. This is a dream job. He gets invited all over the world for no other reason than his huge audience and his integrity as a person, keeping his videos down to earth, without any hype or artificial drama. It is nice to see quality being valued. I wish Tom the best and am looking forward to see more videos here.

[@patheddles4004]

Agreed, and his integrity absolutely is key to that. When we watch a video in which Tom is impressed and excited by a thing, we can trust that the thing legitimately impressed and excited him. He won't pretend, and he can and will simply scrap a video that didn't work out the way he'd hoped - we don't see those.

[@TheAlps36]

And it's so scientific too - he breaks down the technology and how it all works into a really understandable format not just shouting "oh my god That's so quick bros!!"

[@Tara-fo2gx]

@@patheddles4004 Except, he *has* posted videos in the past that he's confessed didn't go the way he wanted to, except those videos weren't for companies I think, they were to tell stories about integrity and other things.

[@korenn9381]

@@Tara-fo2gx or in which things went wrong in interesting ways which then became the topic of the video instead.

[@In.Darkness]

I asked a train engineer how many times his train had derailed. He said, “I’m not sure, it’s hard to keep track

[@slash196]

It kinda feels like 27 years was the amount of time they needed to actually get such an insane piece of engineering to work reliably enough to put paying customers on it. This wasn't a future that never arrived, it was a future so incredible it needed this much time to get here.

[@bratimm]

That is simply not true. The original Transrapid maglev trains in Germany reached operational readyness decades ago, transported over half a million passengers on the test track and the only accident since then was due to human failure. Germany started to sell the technology, but there was no demand, partly due to lobbyism from the car and aviation industries. Since then, there has been very little development on this technology. Everything the Japanese explained in this video already existed at the very least on the Transrapid 09, most of it even earlier.

[@СлаваУкраїні-м2о6в]

@@bratimm "Everything the Japanese explained in this video already existed at the very least on the Transrapid 09, most of it even earlier." That's not true at all. The Transrapid does not feature superconducting magnets as one glaring example. Note that the levitation and guidance mechanisms are fundamentally different between the two systems. The Transrapid uses an active system, which constantly measures the gap to the tracks and adjusts the currents going through the electromagnets accordingly to correct deviations. The Japanese SCMaglev on the other hand does not need to micro-manage currents at all - it passively induces the guideway to exert the necessary forces simply by passing by at high speed. Since this mechanism doesn't work well at lower speeds, the train has to have wheels for that regime unlike the Transrapid.

[@kontiwa3257]

山梨県に移って、約30年 その前に宮崎県で、約30年 計 60年近く 実験してます。

[@FredPlanatia]

@@СлаваУкраїні-м2о6в SCMaglev seems like a safer more robust approach esp. in an Earthquake prone country.

[@特牛-f8u]

既に新幹線があるのにリニアを建設する必要性から時間がかかったのだろうな。 新幹線と同じ会社だから競争にはならない😅

[@ens5n1e07p]

I can't believe that Tom's videos have gone from dropping drums and cymbals off of a cliff to being invited by JR to test-ride cutting edge trains in Japan.

[@SaberVS7]

Cynically speaking? Tom gets eyes on things - And having eyes on *your thing* is something desirable if you're looking for Investment and/or "pressure" to get "Objecting Municipality X" to approve construction.

[@MawDaws]

@@SaberVS7 huh?

[@y_samu]

I've seen other youtuber on the same train

[@foxinrot]

Yea the production quality has dropped considerably... D:

[@McZurich]

@@MawDaws Hes saying JR rail hired Tom maliciously to spread the word about the "1 remaining objecting local government" so people harass them to allow construction

[@nano_sweet]

As a Japanese local I thank you so much for traveling to the more rural parts of Japan and showing off some unique stuff here. To us it sometimes feels like everything is doom and gloom due to shrinking population and decades long recesssion but seeing you genuinely get excited about these things in Japan gives me hope in the place where I live and love. Thank you.

[@Shambles7698]

LMAO stop believe main stream media every country around the world face same problem but media bias is dangerous propaganda stop 💯 believe in main stream media

[@akiroclimbs2300]

As an American in high schooler who is currently studying Japanese, I can ensure sure you that everyone around my age really appreciates this kind of amazing technology Japan brings to the world. Although the population decrease is most definitely a serious issue, Japan has plenty of time to find solutions within the coming years. 心配しないでください!

[@fcbbbb3424]

stop ホルホル

[@akiroclimbs2300]

@@fcbbbb3424 キレてる?

[@Siberius-]

@@akiroclimbs2300 - Yea, immigration and worker's rights. The majority of Japanese politicians might prefer to economically destroy Japan before they do that, though.

[@aeleron0577]

"500km/h and it feels like a train" reminds me of the pioneers of railway. Back then people were afraid of taking a train because they believed that speeds over 30km/h were unbearable for the human body and thus deadly.

[@johnlogullo2237]

It would be interesting to know how many kilos of coal it would take to move one of those old time trains one kilometer.

[@hedgehog3180]

@@johnlogullo2237 Depends on when, where and which locomotive you're talking about. Steam trains got more efficient over times and the ones made towards the end of the steam era were much more efficient than the earliest ones due to inventions such as super heaters, and several also started running on fuel oil. The answer in general though will probably be a lot less than you anticipate but still more than a modern electric locomotive would need if it was being powered by a coal power plant. Coal was not the limiting factor for steam locomotives, it was water, which is why track pans were invented. Also the grade of coal being used also mattered, which is why the where was important beyond just the grade of the track. The best coal available was Welsh coal so British steam locomotives would generally be able to get a bit more out of their fuel than American locomotives that had to run on some of the worst coal available. And of course the amount of coal needed would also change with speed since the key feature of trains is that due to the low friction between the wheels and the track they can maintain high speeds easily once reached but are slow to accelerate. An express locomotive going at it's top speed, somewhere around 150 km/h might only need a few kg of coal to cover a km but when it's pulling out of a station it might need more than a hundred kg. So it's difficult to give a consistent number for fuel pr km in the same way you can with cars since it changes so much, a train that spends most of it's time at top speed would be a lot more fuel efficient than one that has to constantly start and stop. This is of course also true with cars but with cars friction with the road is at all speeds where most of the energy goes, and that scales linearly with speed, but with locomotives most of the energy is initially spent solely on accelerating it's mass up to speed and then after that speed has been reached energy only has to be spent to overcome air resistance which is relatively minor.

[@hfjtrytry9216]

I really doubt what you said is true at all considering you can ride a horse faster than 30km/h lmao

[@DistinctivePlays]

people were scared of 50 mph I BELIEVE. The main reason was that womens uteruses would be flung out of their bodies apparently :shrug:

[@stevek8829]

For thousands of years they rode horses faster than that.

[@TwitterRehab]

The people of Japan have a lot to be proud of with their transport. The amount of effort and skill that goes into creating this is amazing.

[@beautifulcatastrophes463]

And money. Don’t forget the money.

[@Blu_18]

​@@beautifulcatastrophes463 ofcourse, you can't build those thing with charity

[@graxxor]

@@beautifulcatastrophes463 thank you captain obvious.

[@timothyhopper4956]

3:44 "That's incredible! I don't have words. It's my job to have words for a moment like this, and I don't!" If only more KZbinrs were as articulate - and as humble - as Tom is.

[@HaliOnRepeat]

WOW GUYS!!! Did you see that?! That was so fast guys! I can't believe It!!! It's like it was there and then it's gone!!! Can you believe it guys?! This is so incredible!!!

[@itsmemaario]

Ten seconds before that articulating it quite skillfully.

[@Someone-cd7yi]

seems to be a whole lot more realistic than hyperloop will ever be...

[@bosstowndynamics5488]

That goes without saying, Hyperloop would be this but with even higher speeds, a continuous tunnel, airlocks and tons of vacuum pumps.

[@marselo1316]

The Hyperloop is a great example of taking the engineering principle of minimizing potential points of failure and then doing the exact opposite of that

[@cd767]

That Las Vegas tunnel with teslas and RGB?

[@cjshields2007]

​@@cd767 What speed does that run at?

[@sm3675]

Hyperloop technology has yet to be proven.

[@zollotech]

So great to see this is still moving forward. Just like you I thought we would have them all over by now.

[@vincenttt8289]

Moving forward is the main function of trains

[@stanleybochenek1862]

Day by day we are getting closer to Ufo technology Thank you aliens for helping us evolve

[@androiduberalles]

@@vincenttt8289 quite quickly in this one's case

[@minorii24]

moving forward literally

[@micomator]

and backwards!

[@destituteanddecadent9106]

"One local government keeps raising objections" - Fun fact, the prefecture of Shizuoka, between Tokyo and Nagoya, has historically been against high speed rail, since those would just skip over the prefecture altogether. Although they would have to provide the land space for the tracks, high speed rail doesn't allow for stops in "minor" areas, so for the local economy it would be like providing the shovel to dig their own grave. This happened back in the 60s during construction of the Tokaido Shinkansen and now, 60 years later, the same exact issue once again. (Edit: it's similar to the "highways killing small-town roadside economies" problem that I'm sure every country has experienced on some level.)

[@w1z4rd9]

I'd bet the economic advantage the high speed rail provides can be justified despite what the downs and effects for Shizuoka's finnancial contribute to the country as a whole. It's annoying to stop at Shizuoka every single goddamm time from Nagoya side going to Tokyo in a Shinkansen or vice versa.

[@Blaze6108]

Couldn't they add a little stop with one of those center pass throughs for express trains?

[@horacewonghy]

Even I’m a tourist, I can feel how bad JR東海 in Shizuoka, Shinkansen slow train only in Atami, mishima, Shizuoka and Hamamatsu. Train were missing in existing line and without announcement.

[@horacewonghy]

@@w1z4rd9 They have skip stop train in pass, but after nozomi was serviced, that skip stop train cutting off to every half hour

[@TheNewGreenIsBlue]

​@@w1z4rd9 Most trains on the Tokaido line don't stop at Shizuoka. Shizuoka wants a station at the airport, as the current Tokaido line passes RIGHT underneath the airport... but JR Central doesn't want to do it. Shizuoka Airport is really inconveniently located like a LOT of Japanese airports(except FUK) and mostly has flights to FUK, CTS, and Kagoshima... all places that are a bit far by train... and it's in between two Shinkansen stations now.

[@Yutaro-Yoshii]

Local here. I'm impressed by the level of coverage Tom has provided. Yes, there is one local government (Shizuoka prefecture) protesting on the construction. The tunnel cuts through one of the mountains where their river originates from, and they are worried that the river might dry up as has happened with a similar sized tunnel before. This is exacerbated by the fact that there will be no station to be built in Shizuoka, leaving them with potential damages with no benefits.

[@Mecharuva]

I wondered why a local government was protesting, but I was thinking “the Japanese don’t strike me as the type to protest just to be a jerk about things,” and now I know what’s going on. That’s an unfortunate situation, and I understand why they’d be protesting now.

[@Kalvinjj]

Well it's at least a well founded reason. Routing the track a different way would be my choice in this case, but no idea what that would bring then.

[@PeterPeirce-pv3mm]

Nimbys driving up costs and delaying the future exist no matter what country we live in :)

[@galliman123]

@@Mecharuva meanwhile that one farmer in the middle of Narita airport

[@kenwhy7700]

@@Mecharuva Oh another fun fact, the Narita Airport was also strongly protested by the locals

[@tomatoheadfd]

It's so awesome to see the Japanese excited to share their advancements with you. That multiple companies straight up offered you these close up views of their new projects is amazing.

[@buttnutt]

There is a reason for that.

[@MiseFreisin]

@@buttnutt soft power baybeeeeeeee

[@someotherworldlybeing3167]

@@buttnutt advertisement W

[@Midori900]

technically it's german technic

[@kevinslater4126]

Of course, it's Tom Scott

[@craigcullen4171]

Japanese engineers are incredible, their imagination, problem solving and fabulous products etc they have created over the decades. They just never cease to amaze

[@Lampuunion9989]

Weebs

[@lynth]

This is just a test track. Why didn't Tom go to China where these kind of trains are actually used everywhere in real life situations? I'm living in China and the trains have a potential operating speed of >400km/h quite regularly. I think the average speed on plenty of lines is like 300 km/h. China is also testing all kinds of Maglev train designs on different intercity lines (Alstom, Shinkansen, etc.). The G7 train from Beijing South to Shanghai Hongqiao has an average operating speed of 350 km/h (217 mph). Unlike Japanese Shinkansen, Chinese trains are also affordable to normal people (Beijing-Shanghai costs ~$40 while the Shinkansen between Tokyo and Osaka is over $100).

[@Lickwit]

@@lynth He explained this in the video though.

[@tmjz7327]

@@lynth Because he had to make sure to throw in some anti-china rhetoric at the beginning even though anyone with a brain can tell that the Chinese bullet train system is superior in most ways.

[@velzard1068]

@@lynthwell I think it’s that the Shanghai maglev in operation doesn’t go as fast as it could go, so technically it’s the fastest train in operation, but it doesn’t actually go that fast. It’s not to say there aren’t really fast maglev tests in china, I just think that as of recording, the one in Japan was the fastest

[@timmyZert]

With Tom in Japan and trying all sorts of transportation modes, surely it's time for him to try one of the many monorail lines dotted around the country....

[@danielalba7651]

Chiba monorail oh please

[@Kelthor85]

Isn't there one in Shelbyville?

[@jama211]

@@Kelthor85 Mono... doh!

[@jama211]

@@danielalba7651 There's also one in Kyushu, and one in Tokyo that goes from Haneda airport!

[@danielalba7651]

@@jama211 my favorite is the shonan monorail (also safege type)

[@ethandavis7310]

The fact it still looked super fast at 1/4 speed is incredible

[@slyseal2091]

should be 125km/h, which from I know is what the average train does.

[@eddyzow]

definitely faster than the average train, here commuter rails in the US tend to only do like 30mph so it’s more than 10 times as fast

[@worldcomicsreview354]

The 1/4 speed looks like a normal bullet train does when it goes by IRL

[@zev2x762]

FrFr

[@ARSZLB]

@@eddyzowuhhh no. here, the LIRR (the longest and oldest operating commuter rail in the United States still operating under its original name) operates regularly between 70-80+ mph. And it's far from the only one. 30 mph is unbearably slow

[@memejeff]

Please don't feel the need to apologize about being excited. Everyone loves it when you get excited. Amazing video as always. I hope that this test track will pave the way so that it finally becomes a bit more mainstream.

[@drdewott9154]

Maybe, but I still think Maglevs are gonna be a tad niche. They'd still be much more expensive than conventional high speed rail, with a lower benefit, and still some key issues like lower capacity. The Japanese maglev trains are notably smaller than their existing bullet trains, particularly in width, making them carry fewer passengers at a time. That's on top of other difficulties like the track switching mechanism which is much more complex and slow for Maglevs requiring much more time to set them right. That means that while there can be a conventional bullet train between Tokyo and Nagoya every 2-3 minutes, there has to be a gap of approximately 10 minutes between each Maglev train. One of the reasons the Maglev is even viable between Tokyo and Nagoya, and its planned extension to Osaka is because these are already megacities well beyond whats seen in most of the world, plus the fact that the conventional high speed railway between the cities is so congested that there's no room for additional trains. In most of the world where high speed rail exists that's barely a concern as of now.

[@willvan7685]

@@drdewott9154 and from what I've seen, 'maglev' (don't know the actual terms) is usually only used for smaller machines for precision when little to no friction is needed such as balancing scales.

[@captainkeller2792]

If Tom is excited, you know the Video is a banger.

[@sayandas5]

He is British.. he needs to apologize for showing emotions 😂😂

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

He can get excited enough for all of us.

[@bubblerman]

Los Angeles to San Francisco is about 380 miles. Imagine being able to go that far in just an hour or so. That is insane and I can only dream that the US would develop their rail system

[@levismith7444]

Japan is spending over 86 billion dollars on their maglev line the US can’t afford that.. not after the 115 billion that was sent to Ukraine

[@CThyran]

San Francisco and Los Angeles have airports, people just fly there if they need to be there quick.

[@bubblerman]

@@levismith7444 perhaps we should not blow all the money on proxy wars then

[@NoLifeStarCraft]

@@levismith7444 US can clearly afford that considering the CA HSR is even more expensive than that. Unfortunately, lawyers and "environmental reviews" aren't cheap, and Americans can't resist embezzling funds allocated to the project, whether intentionally or as a result of poor planning.

[@Vapor817]

@@levismith7444 im not sure how you can build a railway with missiles and tanks that are about to expire

[@ODISeth]

Everything about this video feels more like a plane than a train. The fact that it starts grounded and then “takes off” with the magnets, the sterile white aesthetics, this visibly looks like a plane to me! It’s just engine-less and REALLY close to the ground

[@arkynkueh]

Another thing that's plane-like that's not shown in this video is how you board it. The electromagnetic radiation from the magnetic coils is so strong that to shield passengers from it, they have to board the train through jetbridges, which is what you use to board a plane at an Airport.

[@samuelthecamel]

I wonder of it's cheaper than a plane. It's certainly more environmentally friendly at least

[@femboyexpert313]

I mean that’s literally just how trains in japan are Clean

[@oz_jones]

@@arkynkueh i wonder if they are funded by Jeff Bridges

[@robertlancaster8190]

If that’s true, then the coils are energized all the time, even though it’s standing still…

[@jakobhartzmusic9992]

The part where the wheels come up at 5:30 is such a cool moment. What an amazing technology!

[@SpotterCrazyperson]

Indeed! 🤩

[@PianoKwanMan]

Completely like taking off at a really shallow angle of attack ... just before an unrestricted climb, of course

[@bieneulm1982]

Transrapid wouldn´t be in need of having wheels, it can float at 0km/h already and then accelerate to up to 500 or, as the chinese promise with their copy CRRC CF600, 600km/h. The speed is generated by the railway and the statorpackages underneath it, since that would be the engine of a transrapid (EMS-Based).

[@wayne30047]

It's almost like a magic

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

I just love being able to say, "The wheels come up."

[@Stone_624]

2 Days ago, I was coming back to Tokyo from the Fuji Goko Area via the Highway Bus (I have work up there sometimes), And I was thinking to myself "You know I've never actually seen the Maglev pass through this track" in the probably 50-60 times I've passed by it, and THE SECOND that I thought that, I saw it come out of the tunnel and shoot by. It was FAST, and incredibly cool to actually see in reality right in front of your eyes. The timing on that was the most perfect thing I've ever experienced in my life.

[@aungmyintoo4635]

That is what we call psychic 😊

[@Life_42]

Life is full of coincidences (;

[@Hoch134]

It makes sense that you never experienced it, too. As those trains pass by in 1-5 seconds and then are gone, you really have to be lucky to spot it one time.

[@jamessatterfield5705]

We get lucky sometimes 😁

[@krunalmangrola6692]

You notice things what you think about - Baader Meinhof effect

[@BrandonMeyer1641]

I was immensely impressed by JR services while in Japan. This another level.

[@Js136Thai]

so true, its clean and super punctual.

[@dodger3294]

I've never had my jaw drop from a youtube video before. The train going past at 3:20 is absolutely incredible. It absolutely translates on camera, so sick

[@RonaldoROKKETT]

​@@luxraider5384the sound looking weird

[@joriss5]

@@luxraider5384 No, it's less than half the speed of sound.

[@luxraider5384]

@@joriss5 i forgot that the spped pf the sound was actually 340m/s

[@windowsxpmemesandstufflol]

​@@joriss5A train going Mach 0.4!!!

[@shadi3993]

i got goosebumps

[@jaiparadkar2082]

One of my friend's dad is a lead engineer here and has been since 2016. Living in Japan, I know that they are known for their consistency, with the Shinkansen bullet trains having 0 major crashed in decades. A likely reason for the delay is the high safety standards they are trying to meet. This is heavily marketed and I can't wait for its opening to the public!

[@gnnascarfan2410]

And the crashes the Shinkansen DID have was one from operator error at low speed in a train yard, and another in 2004 due to a large earthquake (which caused the train to completely stop).

[@bbh4169]

Replacing tracks or laying down new tracks with protective barrier would take a long time.

[@odorikakeru]

Tom alluded to the reason for the delay in the video, but one of the tunnels runs under a river which is a major water source for several cities in Shizuoka. So Shizuoka prefectural government is demanding a guarantee that JR Central will replace a significant water loss so that the overall level of the river doesn’t change, and JRC haven’t been able to offer that guarantee. As much as we all want a new Shinkansen and we all want to see relief on the Tokai Line, we can’t expect to sacrifice a major river to get it.

[@gnnascarfan2410]

@@odorikakeru I was going to ask "Couldn't JR just say 'Fine, you don't wanna play ball with us we'll reroute the train line elsewhere" but then I looked at a map and realized Shikuoza is flanked by Ocean on one side and Mount Fuji on the other. There isn't really anywhere else JR can go without a massive detour.

[@SaberVS7]

@@gnnascarfan2410 Not exactly like Shizuoka was going to get anything out of it going through their province though - It's the one province on the route that has no planned stations - It just passes through and doesn't benefit the citizens of that province at all.

[@lukefuller284]

That 10 degree incline blew my mind, the fact that the train feels level on that bank gives me a much deeper understanding of how fast it's going than the number of km/h

[@Yora21]

We had tilting regional trains in Germany back in the 90s or even 80s. Not sure how much those tilted, but it seemed quite significant. And you only notice it when you look out the window and see all the trees and houses leaning. And that's at fairly low speeds as trains are concerned. I believe it's a function of both how fast the train is going through a corner and how tight the corner is. At 500 km/h, having a 10° tilt feel flat, you probably still have a really wide running corner.

[@cloudy7937]

@@Yora21 I did the math, I think the turn radius comes out to something like 11km

[@Salmagundiii]

All high speed rail track has to have superelevation or banking. Even the lowly Amtrak Northeast Corridor can have something like 10%, which is 5.7 degrees according to a converter I found. I was once on an Amtrak that had to be stopped on a curve because it hit someone. People were asking "is something wrong with the train" 🤣.

[@sortascouseace]

It's like a rollercoaster...when you hit a banked section of track at speed you don't notice the banking because of the centrifugal force generated but when you are going slow or stop you notice it.

[@dominiksuk7261]

Conventional European tracks "tilt" for maximum of 8 degrees, if I recall correctly. Mostly in places where the train almost never stops, so this experience isn't usual for us.

[@mmmoroi]

You were invited by JR to have a ride on Maglev!? Unthinkable! The power of 5.97 million regular viewers.

[@Soniti1324]

My exact thoughts. This doesn't happen.

[@jmstransit]

exactly; no one bats an eye about this. Very likely some elderly councillor or official was against this video being filmed.

[@BloodyMobile]

The part at the end is seriously fascinating: they managed to build the curve with *exactly* the angle, that cancels out the centripetral force from the curve itself.

[@grummhd3020]

That is how most railways work.

[@patheddles4004]

The 'track' itself is U-shaped, with magnets all around the U - that's not a banked corner like in car racing. I'm not sure how much is passive physics and how much is active management by the train, but the train will definitely ride at different bank angles depending on how fast it's going. And it has to, because that train can go around that corner at 7 km/h or at 700 km/h - different speeds require very different bank angles. (to be clear, I agree that the engineering to manage this is incredible)

[@BloodyMobile]

@@grummhd3020 I've not yet been on one where the match was so close that I did /not/ notice the curve being one, or the tilt.

[@C.I...]

@@grummhd3020 No, they have to include a little bit of centrapetal force, otherwise all the passengers get motion sick. This was one of the problems with the UK's tipping Advanced Passenger Train.

[@akersmc]

@@grummhd3020 And roads as well.

[@Slaphappy1975]

You know why I think it will definitely work this time? The interior of this maglev looks exactly like the clean, spacious and entirely forgetable cabin of every shinkansen that I've ever been on. Conceptual/experimental designs always, always look funky and impractical 🤣

[@enkiimuto1041]

It is not just that. Maglevs take a considerable amount of energy that couldn't beat planes on their cost-effectiveness. The tables are now turning on this regard.

[@xmlthegreat]

@@enkiimuto1041 how so? Are the room-temperature superconducting materials here?

[@WarioNumberOne]

I've never ridden a shinkansen, but I'm not a fan of the tiny windows and shared arm rests. Trains are my favorite mode of transportation in a big part because of the comfort and scenery they provide, this seems to be an experience similar to an airplane

[@laerin7931]

@@WarioNumberOne With most of the track being in the tunnels, I guess they didn't see a reason to make big windows. The whole idea seems to be closer to an airplane - the kind of train you use if you want to get there faster, not look at the scenic route.

[@croozerdog]

​@@WarioNumberOne Ever taken the same route for years? This kind of train is made to go between cities and carry people who take the trip to their work and stuff

[@peachscreams]

As somebody who was a massive train fan as a kid, and hasn't been that into it as an adult. This made me cry, genuinely. The engineering and construction of this is astounding, even if it's never open for public use I'm just happy to be alive to see it, it takes my breath away. The feeling that came over me seeing the train speed past Tom without a sound felt nothing short of religious. The mad lads finally did it.

[@waynebutane1338]

I had a similar reaction. Just the possibility that this could one day be a normal mode of travel is amazing to know

[@kylehoffman8920]

@@Varangian_af_Scaniae Toxic masculinity has no place here. Shoo.

[@marselo1316]

@@Varangian_af_Scaniae ok Varangian af Scaniae

[@knyt0]

@@Varangian_af_Scaniae bro just came out of the 1970's edit: nvm it's a troll

[@Sam70831]

@@Varangian_af_Scaniae have you seen jojo? those men cry all the time

[@DanDart]

Tom really does know his video technology, adding DOH and dubbing optionally. That's a really good thing for accessibility. He is such a proponent of it, that we could all stand to learn. I'm sure next comes alternative video streams, unless I've missed those too!

[@Arewmon]

When I lived in Japan, it took me about 40 minutes on the subway to go from my local station in the suburbs to where I went to school in downtown Tokyo. The fact that now I could go to Nagoya from Tokyo in that exact amount of time is frankly mind blowing.

[@Tokax]

Actually it’s coming out in a couple years not now

[@shogunateball2739]

yea its coming out in 2027

[@-SP.]

@@shogunateball2739 No it's been pushed back again. Now there is no official date

[@noytelinu]

Wait, Nagoya isn't being skipped this time?

[@InLoveWithCities]

@@noytelinu No but Kyoto and Yokohama are skipped

[@GameCyborgCh]

imagine travelling from Tokyo to Osaka in less than an hour. I'm actually more impressed by how fast it accelerates from a complete stop to what regular trains drive at all while remaining a very smooth ride. Combined with the immaculate train scheduling of Japan is just *chef's kiss*. Sasuga nihon no enjiniaringu

[@mastertrams]

I think the project is split into two phases. Phase 1 is the 40min bit, from Tokyo to Nagoya, then Phase 2 will take it into Osaka. Regardless, it'll still be breathtaking to travel between Tokyo and Osaka at whatever the final journey time is.

[@deutschelehrer69]

Weeb

[@nerd2814]

@@mastertrams Tokyo-Osaka travel time has been quoted as 1hr 7min per JR material. Seriously, if the current Shinkansen doesn't render flying more or less pointless, this absolutely will obliterate the market for flying in that corridor!

[@pistonburner6448]

If it makes a loop-de-loop on the way, then I'll be impressed. They'll even make more money as amusement park customers will also pay them for rides.

[@GordonSlamsay]

​@Adam P. the one thing is cost, which is why a lot of people take the night bus. The Shinkansen ain't cheap. but fr air travel is terrible, especially quick domestic flights.

[@tiadeets]

As a train nerd, this is so cool! It's something being told how fast it goes and then seeing it on camera. It's SO fast!

[@KhoPhi]

THIS. Experiencing Heathrow Express blew my mind at 160km/hr I'm here trying to process how like about 3x speed of that will be in reality. Edit: Its 160, not 200

[@joshpipe7755]

@@KhoPhi Heathrow Express is only 160km/hr, right? :D

[@Dead25m]

@@joshpipe7755 Yup

[@MIO9_sh]

​​@@KhoPhi You'd feel like riding on an airliner that never take off , more than trying to comprehend a train going at that speed

[@KhoPhi]

@@joshpipe7755 you're right. It has a top speed of 160km/hr for Heathrow Express. That is the fastest train I've been on till date. From Heathrow to Paddington.

[@sparetire3]

As a Canadian, I envy how advanced the trains are. When you factor in flight delay, baggage delays here, you can drive to your destination quicker. Our high speed train goes about 140 to 160km an hr to put it into perspective.

[@mocmaniac1571]

The 1/4 playback speed actually looks like a normal train passing by ! That's mind blowing !

[@willwhite6570]

​@@TippyHippy based

[@yuviaro3511]

@@TippyHippy thank you for your service

[@Lucius_Chiaraviglio]

In the US, 1/4 playback speed of this maglev looks like 2X playback speed of a normal Northeast Corridor train passing by.

[@RamMohammadJosephKaur]

@@TippyHippy Chad.

[@M65V19]

Well, it only 125km/h at 1/4 after all!

[@toasty666]

gave me chills when the train went past. i bet that was intense being there in person experiencing something that large and fast going by

[@AntonyTCurtis]

The Japanese have spent a lot of money, time and effort to make trains generate less noise pollution.

[@angelholiday]

I went there once and I can say Tom's speechless reaction is real. I only stand on the observation deck which Tom was facing in the video, that sound that wind and that speed still shocks everyone. I do encourage everyone to visit that facility. You won't even feel that even in car racing or watching planes take off.

[@darrennew8211]

It's like a fighter jet going by.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

That 500kph is about 40% of the speed of sound at sea level, or about 3 times the typical speed of a bullet, or about 87 times the flight speed of an unladen swallow.

[@eyald.8252]

Yep. I've experienced bullet trains passing by me at full speed, so this must've been a shocking experience

[@AAG414]

Japan's public transport system has never been anything but amazing. And this will take it to the whole next level.

[@SomeGuy-ty7kr]

Strictly speaking, most(all?) of japans "public" transport is actually privately owned.

[@isnitjustkit]

@@SomeGuy-ty7kr JR and most of the private metro companies collaborate so closely with the government, saying they're "Privately" owned is kind of misleading in it's own, Japanese way

[@user-ij7um1ev9w]

One of the greatest achievements

[@Emo-U4k]

3:20 he had the same reaction I had when I was visiting japan and heard the bullet trains whiz by while waiting for mine. It's truly an experience hearing and seeing that.

[@b.mr.arabia]

I really appreciate the last 15s shot at 10degree bank angle being able to show us how many different things has to happen when building a train like this capable of 603kph and still at full speed feeling like gliding over a puffy cloud.

[@tstcikhthys]

* km/h

[@b.mr.arabia]

@@tstcikhthys kph means kilometers per hour, which is the same you just wrote.

[@tstcikhthys]

@@b.mr.arabia No, it doesn't. It means "kilopicohours", which amounts to "nanohours". You can't abbreviate in the metric system; you can only use symbols. And it's _kilometres,_ not "kilometers".

[@Kofja]

@@tstcikhthys what does it matter when you understood they meant kmh?

[@tstcikhthys]

@@Kofja Because they're two different things (and it's km/h, not kmh). Just because the other person can parse someone's mistakes doesn't mean they didn't make a mistake. It's like saying, "why point out my mistake that 2 + 2 = 22 when you know how to add?"

[@liamlifting]

I’m glad you had that high viz and hard hat on. Nice and safe near a 500kmph train.

[@cybergeek11235]

I suspect it's to make it easier to find the pieces - kind of like airplane seatbelts.

[@cmyk8964]

FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND MILES PER HOUR?!

[@johannes.f.r.]

If there is a small piece of debris flying away from the train, a hard hat can definitely save the day.

[@jacobfromallstate4963]

There's been plenty of people who could have survived if they were wearing a hard hat. As someone else said, there's always a chance of a piece of debris being flung by the passing train.

[@thany3]

@@johannes.f.r. Or just a small piece of a tree branch or pebble that's brought along. They'll probably make it so that the general public cannot go anywhere near the tracks. Bridges over the tracks are most likely going to be protected as well.

[@bobibest89]

I have traveled on a high-speed train at 300kph between Naples and Rome. The experience was quite memorable and futuristic. Would prefer it over a plane every time.

[@JukaDominator]

I'll be in Italy later this year, could you please tell me how you can ride on that train? I've never been to Europe before.

[@lorenzocelata4107]

The main line north-south (Turin - Milan - Bologna - Florence - Rome - Naples) Is High Speed now. Just book any FrecciaRossa on those line and you'll be on one of those trains.

[@AelwynMr]

High speed rail in Italy has effectively killed our national airline: nobody in their right mind would go through the hassle of taking a national flight, save for the islands. The train is so much more convenient.

[@AelwynMr]

​@@JukaDominator Also the Venice-Florence-Rome line is high speed, if that's where you plan to visit. "Just" 250 kmh, though.

[@JukaDominator]

@@lorenzocelata4107 Thank you so much! Out of curiosity, how much and how long did the trip take?

[@ishdeephora5077]

Huge respect to these engineers. Such perseverance to test it for so long. Hopefully this is launched rapidly across the world soon.

[@AzuriteKnight]

Gotta love Tom's "Bloody" and facial expression as that thing goes by. That's the reaction of someone who thought they were prepared and weren't. Fascinated by how the train will float without power over a certain speed using the induction in the magnets, really clever and something I wondered about.

[@Ryu-hx5yy]

As a Japanese, I am surprised that not many people know about the maglev train, its always been a big thing in Japan.

[@CA999]

I think it is well known outside Japan. It is also well known how expensive it is.

[@ElectariumTunic]

Maglev trains are well known, at least in Sweden. But they are just seen as expensive experimental gadgetbahns and not as realistic alternatives to conventional trains.

[@matsv201]

​@@CA999 the irony of it is that its actually really cheap. While it cost slightly more than califonian high speed rail, that is quote expensive. If you considering the terain, the Japanese maglev train is proboally the cheapest rail project in the world currently.

[@GregHighPressure]

there are lots of train enthusiasts in the UK, we love your trains so so so much!! wish we had governance that strong... we are all super jealous that you guys get bullit trains. Well at least i get to play Densha de Go! :D And honestly my only future travelling adventure is riding on it! (but getting there without planes)

[@nicolasblume1046]

It will be a big mistake. It's too expensive. But more important: the capacity will be much lower than the normal Shinkansen lines. They should have just used usual high speed train technology. They could operate that at 360kph. Would still be faster than the old line, and also compatible with the old System

[@kyoh86]

日本国内のどの報道機関より分かりやすく魅力が伝わってきます。言語の壁すら越えて。明快で分かりやすいレポート、ありがとうございます。 地元の人間として、開通を楽しみにしております。

[@SYDTrainsFilms]

English Translation for those viewing on KZbin Web: "The appeal is conveyed more clearly than any other news organization in Japan. Even beyond the language barrier. Thank you for your clear and easy to understand report. As a local, I am looking forward to the opening."

[@3xpl0i79]

​@@SYDTrainsFilms Yes we do have a translate button too.

[@SkulShurtugalTCG]

It's AWESOME seeing you get excited about stuff! Your enthusiasm is contagious.

[@The..Commenter]

I don't think people realise how fast 1km in 8 seconds really is 😳

[@Unairu_PSF]

thats a mile every 13-16~ seconds, wow

[@dekippiesip]

I kid you not, this speed allows the train to be competitive with air travel in the US when taking border sscurity into acount. You only reach break even at around 3000 km compared to air, possibly even more if you need to monkey around more than 3 hours at the source and destination airports. Forget the clusters like the east coast metro area or the Texas southern cluster of cities. This train could knit the entirety of the US together.

[@kxno8302]

@@dekippiesipthe US doesn’t have enough funding anymore to construct something like this.

[@MarkIsTiredAlways]

​@@kxno8302Usa definitely has the money but the money is going somewhere else

[@freetrade8830]

@@dekippiesip The security delay on planes is largely unnecessary. Nothing prevents the government from imposing 3 hour security delays on maglev trains, should they ever be commercialized. It just takes one incident (terrorism, sabotage etc) and you can kiss the idea of fast, efficient train boarding goodbye.

[@Psyched_Crow]

That thing going by at 500 km/h is the most amazing sound I've ever heard.

[@Yora21]

It is considerably faster than the physical speed limit of helicopters.

[@niamhoconnor8986]

Definitely sounded like a well made sci-fi sound effect! Glorious

[@Acehitman369]

Wow they need this here in America

[@najrenchelf2751]

That SOUND as it zoomed past was so cool - and awesomely complimented by the reverb of the tunnel! Incredible! 👀

[@rosen9425]

might be a problem for actual maglev lines tho. I don't know how much current high-speed trains sound but Germany apparently had problems with the tunnel mouth designs in the past. Also wheel noise should be louder going slower speeds so maybe maglev is quieter overall.

[@jwalster9412]

It was super sci-fi.

[@OurCumrade]

When I watched the whole video and still can’t hear pls give timestamp

[@OurCumrade]

Time stamp pls

[@1draigon]

Im weirdly happy for Tom. He always is so excited and I think he deserves it all

[@dr.python]

Japanese obsession for quality is no joke, testing for 26 years just goes to show you their dedication and why Shinkansen is never late and never has any incidents (accident)

[@nutsackreviews]

except for quality of life

[@jfprizzy]

@@nutsackreviews rebuilding your economy into the second largest economy in the world (before China) by a long shot, driving insane scientific innovation and discovery, comes at a price. But from the ashes, Japan still did it. I’m sure they’ll be okay

[@programmer1840]

I feel like the Americans or Chinese would have taken more risks and got it done quicker.

[@CrazyMurica]

@@nutsackreviews quality of life is one of the best among developed countries

[@funkieishere]

@@CrazyMurica working 12 hours a day with minimum wage i wouldnt really call that quality of life why do you think suicide rates are so high and birth rates so low

[@ROGER2095]

I rode the maglev people mover at Disney World in 1979 and my girlfriend couldn't understand why I was so excited about it. "This is the future!", I said. Now, 40+ years later, it's still the future.

[@svenlakemeier]

That isn't maglev. It has a linear motor, but runs on wheels.

[@mrxmry3264]

@@svenlakemeier it only uses its wheels up to about 150 km/h because at low speeds the interaction between the superconducting magnets in the train and the coils in the track is too weak to support the weight. above 150 km/h the magnets supply enough lift and the wheels retract.

[@sammiller6631]

Is your girlfriend still around 40+ years later?

[@SilmarilS79]

@@mrxmry3264 He talked about the disney ride.

[@gavcom4060]

@@mrxmry3264 does the people mover even go that fast?

[@briansimon4363]

Tom, you lucky boy! Mind you, it’s well and long earned from the great library of fun and informative videos you have created. 👍🏻

[@isisnoort]

The enthousiasm and energy Tom has for this video and project is yet again contagious! Thanks Tom!

[@robertglickman4555]

Such joy provided about engineering. Proves that engineers are the creative angels we all need. Once again, thank you for the pleasure of distraction/learning/entertainment/delight!

[@MrSunrise-]

I am *not* an angel! I can do interesting stuff as cheaply as possible and, thanks to the law around engineering, I live in perpetual fear of someone being hurt by one of my creations (especially as a result of their own stupidity.) You are welcome.

[@Currawong]

The nice thing about living in Japan: I was in Tokyo for an event, but a typhoon grounded all flights, making it impossible for me to fly back to Fukuoka. No problem, I just booked a shinkansen ticket and the return journey, all up (once you account for travel to and from the airport, check-in and security) was only an hour slower!

[@kairi4498]

However, in some cases Shinkansen will also be cancelled if the typhoon is so strong

[@jan_Ameki]

@@kairi4498 That's one of the reasons JR Central builds this Chūō Shinkansen. It will stay operational even if the shore is hit by typhoon, or even worse, the hypothesised Nankai megathrust earthquake.

[@stanislavkostarnov2157]

@@jan_Ameki not sure about a major Nankai earthquake... I mean, I traveled from Aomori after the earthquake last year (epicenter seaward & just south of Morioka) toatally shut down the Hokkaido Shinkansen... and it runs inland, nowhere near the shore there... believe it wasn't even effected by the great Tsunami of 2011. all depends, but the earthquake it'self might damage the passes and guideways

[@jan_Ameki]

@@stanislavkostarnov2157 Well, during the 2011 earthquake, service on Tōhoku Shinkansen was suspended for almost a month and a half. If the hypothesised Nankai megathrust earthquake were to happen in the near future, considering that Tōkaidō Shinkansen is actually build on the coast rather than inland, it may have to be suspended for an even longer period. Tōkaidō Shinkansen alone accounts for 90% of JR Central's revenue, both before and during the pandemic. If Chūō Shinkansen weren't completed by then and instead the air industry takes over the route, you could expect their financials for that year to be quite dismal.

[@stanislavkostarnov2157]

@@jan_Ameki my point is, that despite being far away from the coast, I doubt the Chuo-Shinkansen will remain running after a seriously large earthquake... it is not only coastal areas that experience major problems that can cause a line to close... especially a line so highly technical. as I said, the Tohoku/Hokkaido Shinkansen line was closed, even though outside the worst effected areas, & in a much smaller jolt.

[@dronexfun8469]

I wish somebody would build a maglev here in the u.s. You could build straight sections for thousands of miles and it would probably compete with air travel.

[@markwilson9935]

never gonna happen...way too much ego and that means the intellect needed to achieve this sort of product would take light years and too many fingers in the pie. sad but true! Asian countries have an attitude that has overtaken the 'we are the biggest and fastest' attitude of the west..

[@KurtBenning]

Well here in the USA we don't have the money for maglev trains. If Republicans were in charge of CA they would had it done a long time ago like days.

[@jamesoconnor8985]

You live in a funny world @@KurtBenning

[@bazarleam2593]

We dont have things like this because of the greedy people your taking about. Stop letting them control you. ​@@KurtBenning

[@piano_beginner]

Theoretically, it would be possible to travel between New York and Washington in one hour. The chairman of JR Tokai has made a sales pitch in New York.

[@abigailcooling6604]

Geoff Marshall is gonna be seriously envious that you got to ride that train now.

[@poppinc8145]

Who?

[@thejfoshow1320]

@@poppinc8145 he’s a KZbinr who visits train stations I believe

[@msclrhd]

@@poppinc8145 Another KZbinr who is interested in trains. He and Vicki Pipe did a KZbin series called All the Stations where they visited every train station in the UK.

[@flare2000x]

@@poppinc8145 British KZbinr who makes videos mostly about passenger trains and public transport

[@X-Chë-X]

​@@poppinc8145 train daddy

[@Joe.0oo]

Just got back from a tour of Japan a couple of days ago, and I had the JR rail pass the whole time... incredible is an understatement! Clean, quiet, smooth, and hilariously fast. It was so convenient and comfortable that I wish I could use one instead of flying across the states. Timely video, and the trains I was on still weren't going even close to 500k!!! Plz bring these to the northeast US hahaha

[@francesfuego6950]

God yea new york to miami in 4 hours domestic maglev im ready.

[@depremere3991]

Nah the us government is too busy being paid by car companies

[@Mark_Bridges]

What would happen if this was operated in northeast USA, then you get a big snowstorm? Imagine this thing hitting a pile of snow at 500 km/hr. In a tunnel will be fine, but that makes it more expensive and less likely to be constructed. I don't reckon you'll see it going past your house any time soon. Otherwise, I agree with you, I'd like a ride on one of them too.

[@bobeatschocolate]

@@Mark_Bridges Snow wouldn't be an issue. Heated tracks, intermediary snow removal trains which have a plow. These things already exist.

[@stephanweinberger]

@@Mark_Bridges 1. it snows in Japan too. Sometimes a lot. 2. heavy snowfall affects all other modes of transport as well.

[@StoneLegion]

This was amazing. I'm so glad maglev is coming back in a sense. It's something I think Southern Ontario would be stupid not to have someday. It's perfect with how all our cities are laid out. I'm glad that it's not dead like the Concorde great analogy.

[@acbthr3840]

High speed rail for a Windsor corridor maybe but there's no chance in hell that something like this could be economical with how sparse our development is compared to Japan

[@alexandermccabe556]

Canada has less people than California and all the of them live in 2 cities what would be the point

[@matsv201]

​@@acbthr3840 you should not assume that. They are way more economical than people belive.

[@lupeters213]

The biggest problem is actually land owners and local governments. Germany wanted to build a Transrapid track for years between two major cities, but never got anywhere near to get all the building permits necessary. They sold all their patents and tech to China and had to close down their exhibition / test track a couple of years ago after they forgot a maintenance trolley on it and crashed into it at top speed killing several people.

[@questioner1596]

@@alexandermccabe556, except Vancouver, the Windsor-Quebec city corridor covers most of the major Canadian cities - Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal. It passes by other medium cities like London and Kingston too.

[@3paynes]

WOW!!!! I'm thinking of how quickly I could get to different places in the US. Amazing technology! thanks for sharing.

[@wubbishwon]

I just came back from Japan. Shikansen bullet train is such an amazing experience. Quiet, comfortable, spacious, and amazing window views.

[@FiredAndIced]

That itself is marvelous, given how the whole shinkansen project nearly didn't take off as expected back in the day. The new tech promised is maglev, and I want to know if it's feasible to build and make one, not just in Japan, but other parts of the world.

[@korenn9381]

@@FiredAndIced arguably Japan is the worst country to build it in - mountains everywhere and seismically active. So it should be fine in other parts of the world. But it'll be limited to rich countries only - the construction costs are enormous. Even if that money can be recouped from usage later.

[@zsoltpeterdaniel8413]

@@korenn9381 Japan is a great country to develop it, because it forces them to implement more safety features due to seizmic activities.

[@piuthemagicman]

​@@korenn9381 Japan & Switzerland - Both extremely mountainous and, as you know, known for their incredible unique railways and trains each in their own way.

[@macjonte]

And built in the 60s. :)

[@beckstheimpatient4135]

This is an amazing video! Not just because maglev is still a thing and you got to ride it, but it must have cost the company quite a bit to run the train empty twice - just for you! I think we're all grateful they considered the publicity to be worth the cost.

[@matsv201]

They are dirt cheep to run and they need the hours on the clock for certification.

[@chaos.corner]

@@matsv201 I was about to say they gave Tom one of the test rides :D

[@onlineo2263]

@@matsv201 not really true. Electricity is expensive. I imagine this used a lot of it! Also they have already driven this train 104 times around the world or something like that. Do they really need any more testing?

[@ChickenSDS]

​@@onlineo2263 do you really need crash tests if the car says 'safe to ride' on the window?

[@hjalfi]

@@onlineo2263 For a maglev, not _that_ expensive --- regenerative braking, remember!

[@stephenj1772]

As someone who used to live in the small city where this was filmed I'm glad you made it out and got the experience the maglev. Had I known you were going to be there I'd have a had few great restaurant recommendations in the immediate area. Thanks for showcasing something that is only really know to Japanese tourists.

[@li_tsz_fung]

Please tell us some recommendation. Maybe someday, some of us will go try out the test track.

[@GardenGuy1942]

What is the lat and long of your home?

[@arlynnecumberbatch1056]

@@GardenGuy1942 ?????

[@gizConAsh]

Where is it and how can i as a foreigner get to experience this?

[@GardenGuy1942]

@@arlynnecumberbatch1056 latitude and longitude

[@Jdogrey1]

I want to go back to Japan so bad. I loved being there so much.

[@TheVagolfer]

Tom, it's fascinating you were deathly afraid of a simple roller coaster, and yet are totally relaxed on a 300+ m.p.h. train. The mind does bizarre things to us.

[@myladycasagrande863]

Being fully contained and having all of the environmental cues for "normal travel" make a world of difference... and not beginning with a heart-stopping plunge helps.

[@sammiller6631]

a simple roller coaster simply does not have simple walls and ceiling

[@wytfish4855]

he said it as much, it's less about speed and more about the sudden drops that gives you the heaving shits. you take all the exciting elements of a roller coaster away and what would you get? a train. of sorts.

[@57thorns]

@@wytfish4855 You get the kids train at the amusement park, or the cars on tracks.

[@akamesama]

I would say that passenger rail (at least in the US) is held to much higher safety standards than roller coasters. Though passenger accidents on both are highly infrequent; they both have the same number of passenger deaths in the USA (~5 per year), but most train deaths are from passenger behavior, where amusement park deaths are predominately maintenance issues. There are also many more deaths from railways with employees and at crosswalks, but those are not specific to riding a train.

[@RossParker1877]

I remember MagLevs being the next huge thing. Saying they were already being tested in Germany. Then they never really happened. Amazing opportunity for you Tom

[@kyh148]

The Shanghai Maglev actually uses German Transrapid technology, iirc

[@NonsensicalSpudz]

I think a big problem was cost and well technology

[@niyiu3547]

Germany and trains... lmao

[@OldSkoolUncleChris]

I remember when MONORAILS were the next big thing 😂

[@PrograError]

it works... just that the normal stuff is just cheaper and still works... there's a margin when Maglev will make a comeback... (sans the nutty ideas of a hypertube or something...)

[@Saand1338]

Thanks again to Tom and the Production Team for all their work on accessibility in production. The high quality subtitles and English dubbed audio are appreciated.

[@blondiebear42]

Unbelievable how quiet it is! You can still hear Tom when it goes by at full speed

[@philreed1605]

It’s still quieter than a British Pacer train, even at 300 mph!

[@beback_]

In a tunnel, no less

[@phattjohnson]

Still quieter than my postman's motorbike!

[@RFC-3514]

Er, Tom doesn't talk while the train is going by at full speed (3:17 - 3:27), so if you're hearing him, he might be right behind you shooting a new video. ;-)

[@alangordon3283]

Brilliant .

[@Cimlite]

That drive-by gave me chills. _Wow._ This is some incredible technology.

[@allanjmcpherson]

Meanwhile in Canada, I'd be thrilled if we could have commuter trains that traveled at an average speed of 100 km/h-heck, I'd even take 80!

[@Lampuunion9989]

Meanwhile in the us , have poorly public transport, be grateful for your canada

[@HonkeyKong54]

@@Lampuunion9989 don’t even have a bus in my city in Canada

[@danielmisgana2672]

We don’t even have sidewalks

[@JustCallMeAarav]

In India, I'm suprised with 40. Also, our trains are too over crowded.

[@markheatherington8367]

Meanwhile in America, I'd be thrilled if Amtrack ran to their actual schedule the speed at which is secondary. 4 times I've bought tickets for Amtrack trains and 4 times I got there on a bus 😮‍💨

[@darkwoodmovies]

This is awesome! Can't wait to get one in the USA, I hope my great great great great great grandkids will benefit from it.

[@Praisethesunson]

How would high speed rail make car companies more profits?

[@devd_rx]

the oil companies aint letting it happen

[@calyodelphi124]

I love how you chose to film the ending segment with the train stopped in the middle of a curve! That superelevation is something!

[@klaernie]

I luckily got a ride in the German maglev before it closed down. It was an experience crusing at 535km/h and feeling perfectly level in the turns while seeing a sideways world outside the window.

[@kyohiromitsu4010]

You mean 420km/h.

[@klaernie]

@@kyohiromitsu4010 you're probably right. That was almost 20 years ago, and my memory is a bit fuzzy. I just distinctly remember the not-feeling of the speed and seeing the Emsland zip by.

[@radiyakeenan]

Seeing a train move that fast behind Tom without making any noise until the moment it is right behind him was breathtaking. I have no words to describe my excitement over this marvel of engineering. I’m really grateful to get a chance to ride the SC Maglev this summer and it will definitely be a surreal and unforgettable experience.

[@u1zha]

I fully expect the passage to be even more mindblowing when they run full length (16 car?) trains in normal service

[@busterbiloxi3833]

This guy is making some of the best videos on KZbin, and I’m a harsh critic!

[@donaldneill4419]

I was completely blown away by the Eurostar at 300 kph. This thing is absolutely amazing. New bucket list item!

[@darren25061965]

I travelled on the TGV Duplex at 318kph, 198mph. Excellent train, the smoothest and quietest train I have ever experienced. Travelled from Paris to Munich.

[@darktoranaga]

I don't know how Tom does it, but he keeps finding such cool things to show us. Love it!

[@Snookbone]

Well done on Liking The Thing

[@etharial]

Update from Japan here. Shizuoka governor will finally step down (for some silly discriminatory comments he made about farmers) 2 days ago and the Maglev train may finally come in 2027!

[@arkynkueh]

Not likely, to open in 2027, they needed to start construction on the Shizuoka segment 2 years ago, which they haven't been able to do because of having no approval from Shizuoka Pref.

[@lac2275]

In many maglev videos it is hard to appreciate how quick it goes, but @3:20 is probably the best portrayal yet. So fast!

[@jessepond2062]

When it shoots past, it’s crazy! Imagine seeing that in person.

[@MarkxTube]

What a great experience. As a kid i once got to ride the Transrapid in Germany at around 470kmh and it was so smooth, luckily the track was open and raised. Outside the world went by so fast. They told us that it could accelerate with 10ms² if it wanted to. Too bad it never got built between Hamburg and Berlin as promised.

[@daniell807]

It was really nice and they stopped the whole project, sadly :( I've been on the test tracks as well and like you said... Outside goes Whoosh!

[@普通の学徒]

重力加速度gは9.8m/s²だから、物が落下するよりも速く加速するのはとてもすごいね！

[@MarkxTube]

@@普通の学徒 Indeed, you would be standing at a 45 deg angle inside the train.

[@8NCLI8]

Maybe this project being a success will work as a catalyst for inspiring/reviving other projects like it, as the original Shinkansen did.

[@MarkxTube]

@@8NCLI8 I think the main reason is the complexity of building the tracks and even then you are very limited network wise. Its good for single line tracks that need fast connections like a passenger line between big cities or across the country.

[@jr_kulik]

Excellent video as always ! I love the tour of Japanese technology and tradition, it’s fascinating to explore this culture.

[@tanithrosenbaum]

I've stood on a platforms 3 or 4 meters away from trains passing by at 300 km/h, and that already was a dread-inducing and awe-aspiring experience. And this is going 67% faster than that even... I can totally see Tom's reaction there.

[@popozz]

After the opening, the train will have 16 cars, so it will be even more powerful!

[@jamesv1995]

This is one of the best videos on this platform. Can't believe it's free! Thank you Tom!

[@quantuminfinity4260]

It’s so cool that places are inviting time to come check those kind of things out! I am so excited for mag lev infrastructure to be tested at scale in a practical manner as well.

[@elvergalargo1469]

The guy just casually said that they invented an inductive power collection system. That is beyond nuts. It's literally like sending charge to your iPhone battery as if it were bluetooth. Completely wireless.

[@pierholtrop5432]

My iphone can already charge wireless i dont know if you lived under a rock ?

[@_bakedbeans6970]

@@pierholtrop5432But your phone still have physical contact with the charger ?

[@circuit10]

@@_bakedbeans6970 I think it can be slightly above and still work

[@popculturedata]

Tom is always making entertaining stuff for us

[@peterwoo622]

Entertainment always makes Tom for us

[@SomeRandomPiggo]

Tom is always making Tom for us

[@darrennew8211]

And his delight is palpable.

[@bonelesswatermelon420]

I remember reading about maglevs back in 2003 from a children's almanac printed in the late 90s. Been waiting for 2 decades for that future described in that almanac to come. Will be happy to wait a few more years just to experience what Tom did right here.

[@hgos7211]

Like he said, although it's not very long, it exists in Shanghai, travelling at 431kmh since 2003.

[@kkobayashi1]

I remember reading about it in children's books in the 70s.

[@robswc]

It was realized they’re fairly impractical, similar to the concord. Planes are just superior in too many ways to make the investment worth it.

[@bonelesswatermelon420]

@@hgos7211 yea but I'm not in a position to experience it in Shanghai anytime soon nor in the future unfortunately. My hope still lies in the tech being more viable to reach where I am instead

[@TrimeshSZ]

I would love to see this thing finally operating - about 20 years ago I managed to blag a seat on one of the MLX01 test runs - which was at the same Yamanashi test facility you filmed this. If you had told me back then that it still wouldn't be in service in 2023 I would have been really surprised, since it was clearly perfectly functional even then.

[@LeeThayer-nn5ye]

I have rode the Shinkansen several times, that maglev looks like a blast! Well done, Tom Scott!

[@LMacNeill]

Tom's reaction when that train went by at 500 kph was one of total shock! I wish I could've been standing there, too -- must've been amazing to see in real life. On video it was amazing, yes, but that's one of those things you've just got to experience for yourself in person.

[@sysbofh]

It never fails: Be it a radical maglev, or an old monorail, Tom always delivers it! One of the best channels on KZbin! :D

[@sikachu]

I had a chance to ride it back in 2019 when they let you enter a lottery for a test ride. The only things I remember were how fast we flew past the fluorescent bulbs in the tunnel, and the "touch-down" feeling when the train slows down and the wheels are deployed 😂. I really hope they got all the regulation issues sorted out and able to open the whole route for the public soon.

[@1027HANA-lc5ke]

Japanese people their ability are amazing and best. The Cars , trains and everything are just safe. 😮

[@ScrewBall105]

That is some insane doppler effect! The train is so fast, the sound almost lags behind it.

[@janheidorn]

I mean we could have seen this in Europe, Germany had its own High Speed Maglev Train called the "Transrapid". There is still an abandoned test track in the Emsland. The original patents were licensed to china and they build their Shanghai SMT at the Pudong airport, the train that levitates there is the exact design from the Transrapid 08.

[@veduci22]

There's no economic sense to build it - there are no domestic routes with 40/20/10 million metropolitan areas and international routes like London-Paris have far less passenger traffic...

[@matsv201]

​@@veduci22 did you run the numbers, or did you guess?

[@gnnascarfan2410]

@@veduci22 Every time we have traveled to Europe we have used the Eurostar to get from London to Paris. There is a demand for this.

[@StephanGelenscher]

I am so much happier that we have a huge amount of enormous cars and Autobahn instead and planes. Just imagine, cities for humans and not cars. And fast inter-city travel. Horrible /s

[@teage12]

​@@StephanGelenscher diese ironie 🤣

[@blakesleefamilyvideo]

Imagine if Amtrack had the funding and expertise of JapanRail. Such a shame our legislators don’t prioritize these things

[@damianodonnell5844]

It seems they only prioritise derailments at the moment

[@RCAvhstape]

*Amtrak

[@SomeGuy-ty7kr]

JapanRail is a private company which self funds (technically seven, I think), so I'm not sure why our legislature needs to be involved.

[@VulpesHilarianus]

@@damianodonnell5844 Nah, that's CSX and Norfolk Southern. Who supposedly "maintain" the rails. And by "maintain" I mean ignoring them until they fail and then crying to the federal government to give them the money to replace it all with worse quality stuff.

[@blakesleefamilyvideo]

@@SomeGuy-ty7kr I would love if they didn’t have to be involved. Unfortunately many of them take lobbying money from airlines and are actively working against passenger rail projects. An uninvolved legislator would be a step up from our current situation

[@FexiSponge]

Their solution for non contact power seems simple but man, that's got to be hard and it's amazing

[@recumbentrocks2929]

Half a million views in 4 hours! You can understand why the Japanese wanted Tom to do this video for them. Going to share this as I know many of my friends and family will love it. Thanks Tom for sharing these amazing places and things.

[@sevenhelmets]

And a million views another 4 hours later....