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Log in using your social network account OR Log in directly with The Independent {{message}} ____________________ Please enter an email address Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address ____________________ Please enter a valid password [ ] Keep me logged in (BUTTON) Submit Forgotten your password? Want an ad-free experience? Subscribe to Independent Premium. View offers Hi {{fullName}} * My Independent Premium * Account details * Help centre * Logout (BUTTON) News > World > Asia First passengers on Japanese maglev train travel at speeds of 311 mph The hovering train took 100 people on a 27-mile test run * Lizzie Dearden @lizziedearden * Saturday 15 November 2014 18:44 {{^moreThanTen}} * {{total}} comments {{/moreThanTen}} * The new maglev bullet train in Japan The first passengers have travelled at an incredible 311 mph on a hovering bullet train in Japan. The maglev trains have been tested before between the cities of Uenohara and Fuefuki but now members of the public have been allowed on board for the first time. The 27-mile trip went by in a flash for the 100 passengers as the train, which “floats” above tracks using magnetic levitation, hit speeds of 311 mph (500 kmh). Download the new Indpendent Premium app Sharing the full story, not just the headlines (BUTTON) Download now Footage of the high-speed ride showed a live display in each carriage keeping a constant record of the velocity as passengers watched the blur through aeroplane-sized windows. The Central Japan Railway Company is running eight days of testing for the experimental maglev Shinkansen train on its test track in Yamanashi Prefecture, the BBC reported. IFRAME: //www.youtube.com/embed/e7UIJp0FKZQ Maglev trains are even faster than Japan's famous bullet trains, which currently travel at about 200 mph (320 kmh). They will eventually consist of 16 carriages, carrying up to 1,000 passengers at a time and cutting the current travel time by more than half, from 90 to 40 minutes. Japan’s reputation for high-speed rail started in 1964 with the unveiling of its first bullet train coinciding with the Summer Olympics. Created with Sketch. Japanese bullet trains: in pictures Show all 7 Created with Sketch. Created with Sketch. (BUTTON) Created with Sketch. Japanese bullet trains: in pictures 1/7 Bullet trains (1974) Japanese bullet trains lying idle at Shinagawa Railway Station during a 24 hour transport strike. 2/7 Hayabusa bullet train (2011) Japan's 'Hayabusa' bullet train passes through a station in Tokyo in 2011. 3/7 Bullet train and Mt Fuji (2001) A 500-type bullet train passes in front of Mt. Fuji in Shizuoka in 2001. 4/7 JR East's 'Fastech 360S' (2005) 5/7 Bullet train and snow (2014) A bullet train arrives at JR Tokyo Station amid snow in February 2014. 6/7 N700 bullet train (2007) 7/7 Derailed bullet train (2013) The Akita Shinkansen train derailed in March 2013 amid heavy snow fall. No-one was injured. 1/7 Bullet trains (1974) Japanese bullet trains lying idle at Shinagawa Railway Station during a 24 hour transport strike. 2/7 Hayabusa bullet train (2011) Japan's 'Hayabusa' bullet train passes through a station in Tokyo in 2011. 3/7 Bullet train and Mt Fuji (2001) A 500-type bullet train passes in front of Mt. Fuji in Shizuoka in 2001. 4/7 JR East's 'Fastech 360S' (2005) 5/7 Bullet train and snow (2014) A bullet train arrives at JR Tokyo Station amid snow in February 2014. 6/7 N700 bullet train (2007) 7/7 Derailed bullet train (2013) The Akita Shinkansen train derailed in March 2013 amid heavy snow fall. No-one was injured. The central line in the country – the Tokaido Shinkansen – is the world’s busiest high-speed rail, carrying 151 million passengers each year. Britain’s HS1 line connecting London with the Channel Tunnel through Kent allows speeds of up to 186 mph (300 kmh) in its fastest section and the planned HS2 could reach 225 mph (360 kmh). Read more * Japanese 311mph maglev bullet train tested * Japan approves construction of maglev bullet train Independent news email Only the best news in your inbox ____________________ Enter your email address (BUTTON) Continue (BUTTON) Continue Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid Email already exists. 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