>>1936046>mag lev trains have been a thing for over 50 yearsyes, as glorified people-movers. barely more than novelties.
>there is also a running maglev in chinathere are three, actually: one is about 10 miles long in total, another is about 20 miles long in total, and the third is a subway line seven miles in length. the first two exist solely to connect airport users to nearby urban centers, and the second is a subway line.
the ongoing vast, vast cost and upheaval required by the Chuo Shinkansen is because JR are taking existing maglev technology - which, as above, are entirely 'take me from the airport to the city' setups - and hammering it into the shape of a high-speed train similar to the famous Shinkansen railway network. this is why it 'has been tested for over a decade', with no opening date in sight: they are taking a bicycle and trying to use it as a Space Shuttle.
anywhere else, this megaproject would rightly be called-out for its managerial failings, its political failings, and its unclear direction - in short, will the juice be worth the squeeze? as usual, though, THING JAPAN, picture of Mt Fuji at dusk, stock footage of salarymen boarding a shinkansen train, yes. like and subscribe for more 'trains good'-level takes from Ted the Trainsit Guy