In July of this year, over 1000 people lined up to ride the newest Japanese bullet train on its first trip from Tokyo to Fukuoka. This incredible new train, Series N700, is the world’s fastest bullet train in service with top speeds around 186 miles an hour. You would think that a train this fast would wreck havoc on the environment, but you’d be wrong. The N700 is fast and friendly.
There have been two major improvements to this train that make it different than prior models. This train is the first to have an air spring-powered active tilting system that helps the train go around corners at very high speeds. The spaces between the cars are covered with a special material. This makes the train more like a long continuous car rather than a series of cars put together. Despite these changes, the five hour trip from Tokyo to Fukuoka is only shortened by 10 minutes. A big plus to riders is that it will be much quieter. And the biggest advantage to the environment is that it used 19 percent less energy than the old train.
Here are some of the train’s impressive specs:
Rounding Corners at Lightning Fast Corners:
The N700 leans into curves, tilting 1 degree more than the angle of the track. This lets it maintain a speed of 168 mph on a curve with a 1.6-mile radius, up from 156 mph for existing trains.
Power Saver:
Thnk of it as the world’s fastest Prius. The N700 uses regenerative braking to save power. More cars have motors than on older trains, helping the N700 recover as much energy as possible.
Up to Speed:
The N700′s acceleration is 30 percent greater than its predecessors, the Series 700. The 700 ton train has some serious acceleration. It can go from 0 to 60 mph in 37 seconds.
Photo Credit: http://www.millennialliving.com
