SCMaglev and the Chuo Shinkansen
Japan's superconducting maglev holds the world rail speed record of 603 km/h. Its first line, Tokyo to Nagoya in about 40 minutes, is under construction and expected to open in 2036 at the earliest.
Levitating 10 centimeters above the guideway
SCMaglev repels instead of attracts, and only floats once it is fast.
SCMaglev was developed by Japanese National Railways and the Railway Technical Research Institute, and is today owned and operated by the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central). The current train is the L0 series, built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Nippon Sharyo and Hitachi Rail.
It uses electrodynamic suspension. Low-temperature superconducting magnets on the train pass coils in the side walls of a U-shaped guideway and induce currents that lift and center it. The gap is about 10 centimeters, roughly ten times that of the Transrapid, which gives large margins against earthquakes and small guideway imperfections.
The catch: induced levitation needs speed. Below roughly 150 km/h the train rolls on rubber wheels, like an aircraft taking off. Propulsion comes from a linear motor in the guideway walls.
Fact sheet
- Operator
- Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central)
- Train
- L0 series
- Principle
- Electrodynamic suspension (EDS), superconducting magnets
- Levitation gap
- about 10 cm
- World record
- 603 km/h (21 April 2015, Yamanashi)
- Planned service speed
- 500 km/h
- First section
- Shinagawa (Tokyo) to Nagoya, 285.6 km, about 86% underground
- Travel time
- about 40 minutes (today about 90 minutes by Nozomi)
- Full route
- 438 km to Shin-Osaka, about 67 minutes
- Cost estimate
- 11 trillion yen for Shinagawa to Nagoya (October 2025)
- Opening
- 2036 at the earliest
- Status
- Under construction
Sources: JR Central figures as reported by the sources listed below.
Six decades of development
- 1964
Research begins
After the Tokaido Shinkansen opens, Japanese National Railways turns to maglev research.
- 1977
Miyazaki test track
Early superconducting vehicles are tested in southern Japan.
- 1997
Yamanashi Maglev Test Line
Testing moves to Yamanashi. The line is later extended to about 42.8 km and becomes part of the future route.
- 2014
Construction approved
Work on the Chuo Shinkansen starts. Public rides at 500 km/h are offered on the test line by lottery.
- 2015
603 km/h
An L0 series train sets the world speed record for rail vehicles.
- 2017
Dispute in Shizuoka
Shizuoka Prefecture blocks tunneling over concerns about the Oi River, which supplies water to about 620,000 people.
- 2024
2027 opening abandoned
JR Central says the original target date can no longer be met.
- 2025
Cost rises to 11 trillion yen
The estimate for the Tokyo to Nagoya section roughly doubles compared with the original plan.
- 2026
Shizuoka gives the green light
In January JR Central agrees to compensate any loss of river flow. In March the prefecture's expert panel approves all environmental measures, and on 7 July Governor Yasutomo Suzuki approves construction of the 8.9 km Shizuoka section.
Where the project stands in 2026
Construction is under way along the whole route, and work in Shizuoka can now begin. JR Central expects the section through the Southern Alps, with tunnels up to about 1,400 meters below the surface, to take at least a decade. That puts the opening between Tokyo and Nagoya in 2036 at the earliest. No date has been set for the extension to Osaka.
Fares have not been fixed. JR Central's planning assumption is a supplement of about 700 yen over today's Nozomi fare.
Strengths and challenges
SCMaglev outside Japan
JR Central has promoted the system abroad, most prominently for a line between Washington, Baltimore and eventually New York. In July 2025 the US Federal Railroad Administration ended the environmental review of the Baltimore to Washington project. More in our projects archive.