New maglev train in Japan reached 310 mph on a test track. With construction about to begin, some worry that declining population would make the project unsustainable.
Japan will commence construction on a maglev line between Nagoya and Tokyo, "a 177-mile trip that will be cut from 95 minutes on today’s high-speed trains to just 40 minutes with maglev by 2027. To put that kind of speed in perspective, Amtrak’s Acela takes about 3 hours and 40 minutes to go about 210 miles. A trip from Boston to New York on maglev would take under an hour."
Construction is expected to take a decade. Critics worry that with declining population trends, there won't be demand for the train by the time it is built.
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Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
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