JR-Maglev is a magnetic levitation train system developed by the Central Japan Railway Company and Railway Technical Research Institute (association of Japan Railways Group). JR-Maglev MLX01 (X means experimental) is one of the latest designs of a series of Maglev trains in development in Japan since the 1970s. It is composed of a maximum five cars to run on the Yamanashi Maglev Test Line. On 2 December 2003, a three-car train reached a maximum speed of 581 km/h (361 mph) (world speed record for railed vehicles) in a manned vehicle run.[1]
The JR-Maglev system uses an Electro-dynamic Suspension (EDS) system. The maglev-trains have superconducting magnetic coils, and the guide ways contain levitation coils. As the train moves, its moving magnetic fields create a current in the levitation coils because of the magnetic field induction effect. These currents create a magnetic field that interacts with the magnetic field of the superconductive coils to create a force that holds up and stabilises the train.
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Levitation System |
Guide System |
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Drive System |
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The trains use a levitation system, a guide system, and a driving system.
The different prototypes have worked in slightly different ways, but the current track has a series of figure-of-8 wound coils along both sides that are also cross-connected with wires that go underneath the track.[2]
When the trains run at high speed, if the magnetic field of the approach of the superconducting magnetic coils is centered then the electrical potential is balanced and no currents are induced.[2]
However, typically, the train is running slightly below the centre of the coils due to gravity. Then the electrical potential is no longer balanced, and this causes a current that creates a reactive magnetic field that opposes the superconducting magnet's pole (in accordance with Lenz's law) and a pole above that attracts it, and so the train is pushed and pulled upwards, and prevented from falling.[2]
Levitation coils on the guide way generate guiding and stabilizing forces also. If the train moves to the left, then currents are induced due to the cross-connections between the track coils that push and pull it straight.[2]
EDS allows larger gaps than EMS, but requires support wheels for relatively low speeds, when it can't produce a large levitation force. The wheels retract once the train reaches 150 km/h (93 mph). JR-Maglev floats 10 centimeters (3.94 in) above the guideway.[3]
JR-Maglev is driven by a Linear Synchronous Motor (LSM) System, which powers the coils at the guide way.
After maglev tests moved to Yamanashi Prefecture, the Railway Technical Research Institute (RTRI) began in 1999 to allow the test of ground effect trains based on wing-in-ground-effect (WIG) at the former site in Hyūga City, Miyazaki Prefecture.[4]
Yamanashi Experiment Lines are facilities that currently have a practical use. It includes about 18.4 km (11.4 mi) of track (including 16.0 km (9.9 mi) of tunnels). The test track is currently being extended from 18.4 to 42.8 km (11.4 to 26.6 mi) with completion expected for 2013/14. This is part of the planned Chūō Shinkansen connecting Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka. 14 pre-production L0 Series Shinkansen will be built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Nippon Sharyo, a subsidiary of JR Central.
| no. | type | note | built |
|---|---|---|---|
| MLX01-1 | Kōfu-side car with double-casp head | retired and displayed in the SCMaglev and Railway Park | 1995 |
| MLX01-11 | standard mid car | retired | 1995 |
| MLX01-2 | Tōkyō-side car with aero-wedge head | in test run | 1995 |
| MLX01-3 | Kōfu-side car with aero-wedge head | retired and displayed in the Railway Technical Research Institute | 1997 |
| MLX01-21 | long mid car | 1997 | |
| MLX01-12 | standard mid car | in test run | 1997 |
| MLX01-4 | Tōkyō-side car with double-casp head | 1997 | |
| MLX01-901A | Kōfu-side car with long head | remodeled and renamed from MLX01-901 in 2009, in test run | 2002 |
| MLX01-22A | long mid car | remodeled and renamed from MLX01-22 in 2009, in test run | 2002 |
| Speed [km/h (mph)] | Train | Type | Location | Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 (37.3) | ML100 | Maglev | RTRI of JNR, Japan | 1972 | |
| 400.8 (249.0) | MLU001 | Maglev | Miyazaki Maglev Test Track, Japan | February 1987 | Two-car train set. Former world speed record for maglev trains. |
| 394.3 (245.0) | MLU002 | Maglev | Miyazaki Maglev Test Track, Japan | November 1989 | Single-car. |
| 411 (255.4) | MLU002N | Maglev | Miyazaki Maglev Test Track, Japan | February 1995 | Single-car. |
| 531 (329.9) | MLX01 | Maglev | Yamanashi Maglev Test Line, Japan | 12 December 1997 | Three-car train set. Former world speed record for maglev trains. |
| 552 (343.0) | MLX01 | Maglev | Yamanashi Maglev Test Line, Japan | 14 April 1999 | Five-car train set. Former world speed record for maglev trains. |
| 581 (361.0) | MLX01 | Maglev | Yamanashi Maglev Test Line, Japan | 2 December 2003 | World speed record for all trains. |
| Speed [km/h (mph)] | Train | Type | Location | Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 504 (313.2) | ML-500 | Maglev | Miyazaki Maglev Test Track, Japan | 12 December 1979 | |
| 517 (321.2) | ML-500 | Maglev | Miyazaki Maglev Test Track, Japan | 21 December 1979 | |
| 352.4 (219.0) | MLU001 | Maglev | Miyazaki Maglev Test Track, Japan | January 1986 | Three-car train set. |
| 405.3 (251.8) | MLU001 | Maglev | Miyazaki Maglev Test Track, Japan | January 1987 | Two-car train set. |
| 431 (267.8) | MLU002N | Maglev | Miyazaki Maglev Test Track, Japan | February 1994 | Single-car. |
| 550 (341.8) | MLX01 | Maglev | Yamanashi Maglev Test Line, Japan | 24 December 1997 | Three-car train set. |
| 548 (340.5) | MLX01 | Maglev | Yamanashi Maglev Test Line, Japan | 18 March 1999 | Five-car train set. |
| Speed [km/h (mph)] | Train | Type | Location | Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 966 (600) | MLX01 | Maglev | Yamanashi Maglev Test Line, Japan | December 1998 | Former world relative passing speed record |
| 1,003 (623) | MLX01 | Maglev | Yamanashi Maglev Test Line, Japan | November 1999 | Former world relative passing speed record |
| 1,026 (638) | MLX01 | Maglev | Yamanashi Maglev Test Line, Japan | 16 November 2004 | World relative passing speed record |
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