Business
Bullet Train Hits Tracks at 603 KPH
A Japanese maglev train that is the fastest passenger train in the world runs on the Maglev Test Line in Tsuru, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Tokyo Tuesday, April 21, 2015. Operator JR Central said the train reached 603 kilometers per hour (375 miles per hour) in the test run on Tuesday, surpassing its previous record of 361 mph (581 kph) set in 2003. (Katsuya Miyagawa/Kyodo News via AP)
Tokyo (CNN) — It’s a bird — It’s a plane — It’s an insanely fast Japanese bullet train.
A Japan Railway maglev (magnetic levitation) train hit 603 kilometers per hour (374 miles per hour) on an experimental track in Yamanashi Tuesday (April 21), setting a decisive new world record.
A spokesperson said the train spent 10.8 seconds traveling above 600 kilometers per hour, during which it covered 1.8 kilometers (1.1 miles).
That’s nearly 20 football fields in the time it took you to read the last two sentences.
Takeo Ookanda, who runs an exhibition center next to the test track, said witnesses erupted with excitement and applause when the new record was set.
