Maglev Test Ride Attracts Many Train Fans

YAMANASHI, JAPAN - NOV. 13: A test run of Japan's planned magnetically levitated train attracted many fans who wanted to experience the 500-kilometer fast travel. Central Japan Railway Co. will host the test rides, to be held eight times between November and December, at its 42-8 kilometer long test course in Yamanashi Prefecture, west of Tokyo. The company said some 2400 passengers, chosen from 118 thousand people by ballot, can ride during the period. The firm, known as JR Tokai, is the operator of famous shinkansen bullet train between Tokyo and Osaka. It now plans to build a magnetically levitated train line first between Tokyo and Nagoya by 2027, linking the two mega cities in only 40 minutes. The line will be extended to Osaka in 2045, to shorten the Tokyo-Osaka trip to just 67 minutes. The total cost for the whole Tokyo-Osaka construction is estimated to anount 9 trillion yen.