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Just days after setting a world speed record of 581 km/h, a Japan Railways Group maglev train set a new speed record of 603 km/h (375 mph):
In terms of actual travel, it will be some time before the actual speeds achieved this week translate into real train journeys. The first commercial maglev trains will run between Tokyo and Nagoya in 2027, and will likely run at 500KPH [sic], taking 40 minutes to connect the two cities.
Until then Japanese passengers will have to make do with the existing 320KPH bullet trains that take twice as long.
Those Stateside may also have reason to celebrate: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is due to push the train technology in Washington DC later this month, proposing a high-speed link between America's capital and New York City.Were that to happen it would reduce current travel time from about four hours to under an hour.
Some question the necessity of newer, faster trains:
One argument against Japan's plan to install new high-speed routes is the country's declining population. Bloomberg reported that the nation's population may fall to 117 million by 2027, down 10 million from the current population. By 2060, the population could be as few as 80 million according to current projections by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research. The country simply does not have the demand, said Edwin Merner, president of Atlantis Investment Research Corp. in Tokyo.
"[High-speed transportation is] good for growing, developing countries, but not for Japan that's decreasing in population," Mr. Merner told Bloomberg. "It's mis-allocation of resources. Demand for bullet trains will be limited."
(Score: 3, Informative) by TheRaven on Tuesday April 28 2015, @12:59PM
I have had one hour delays in a taxi to the station before though - I don't turn up an hour early for my train just in case though.
The difference is, if you miss a train, there's usually another one along to the same destination within an hour and you can usually get on it at no (or a very small) cost. For flights, there often either isn't another one the same day, or there's a large rebooking fee.
Checking a bag (again, why?),
Because you're going for more than a couple of days and have more luggage than will fit in overhead bins?
means turning up at my local airport about T-40.
Which airline? Most of them that I've used require checked baggage to be handed in one hour before departure.
sudo mod me up
(Score: 2) by isostatic on Tuesday April 28 2015, @09:28PM
I went to Singapore and Sydney earlier this month, 12 days. I took a small laptop bag containing 2 laptops, 2 power cables, a couple of network cables, USB/serial cable, phone charger, 2 aus-uk power adaptors, some bose headphones, pens, etc, and a larger bag - 56cm x 45cm x 25cm - containing
* clothes for 13 days
* toothpaste/brush/razor/small travel toiletries just in case
* An alix PC (http://www.pcengines.ch/alix3d3.htm)
* A Steatite PC (http://www.steatite-embedded.co.uk/industrial-1u-pc-with-core-i7-haswell-cpu-230mm-deep.html)
* More network cables
* IEC power cable
* a small mikrtoik 951n and power
* 25 cage nuts, 25 cage screws
But if you pack heavily fine, BA bag drop at Manchester closes at T-30, so arriving at T-35 is fine. At Heathrow T5 I believe it's T-45 that it closes. KLM in europe is 40 minutes. Norweigan 45 minutes.
In any case arriving more than an hour before checkin seems extreme, even on budget airlines.
When I do check stuff in, its far too much to take on the train in any case. For instance taking 2x36KG Supermicro servers from London to Manchester.
As for taking a later train - flexible train tickets, Berlin to Frankfurt is €246 on train, €250 on plane. Planes go every hour.