Maglev trains

Maglev is a transport method that uses magnetic levitation to move vehicles without making contact with the ground.
Maglev research and development began in Germany and Japan during the early 1970′s. After laboratory tests in both countries, a test track was constructed in Japan during the mid-1970′s and in Germany during the mid-1980′s.

New, Japanese maglev train set a world speed record of 603 kilometers per hour!

In 1990, the Minister of Transport of Japan authorized construction of the Yamanashi Maglev Test Line. It was to be the final test to confirm the practicality of maglev. The 42.8 km line between Sakaigawa and Akiyama of Yamanashi Prefecture opened in 1996 and the first running test of the MLX01 was in April of 1997.