Chuo Shinkansen

Chūō Shinkansen
An L0 series maglev undergoing testing on the Yamanashi Maglev Test Line
Overview
Native name	中央新幹線
Type	Maglev
System	SCMaglev
Status	Under construction
Termini	Shinagawa Shin-Osaka
Stations	9
Operation
Owner	JR Central
Rolling stock	L0 Series
Technical
Line length	285.6 km (177.5 mi) (Shinagawa-Nagoya)
Operating speed	505 km/h (315 mph)
Route map

The Chuo Shinkansen (中央新幹線, Chūō Shinkansen^?) is a Japanese maglev line under construction between Tokyo and Nagoya, and planned to be extended to Osaka. Its initial section is between Shinagawa Station in Tokyo and Nagoya Station in Nagoya, with stations in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, Kōfu, Yamanashi Prefecture, and Nakatsugawa, Gifu Prefecture, as well as an as yet undetermined location in Nagano Prefecture. The line is expected to connect Tokyo and Nagoya in 40 minutes, and eventually Tokyo and Osaka in 67 minutes, running at a maximum speed of 505 km/h (314 mph). About 90% of the 286-kilometre (178 mi) line to Nagoya will be built underground or through tunnels, with a minimum curve radius of 8,000 m (26,000 ft) and a maximum grade of 4% (1 in 25).

The Chuo Shinkansen is the culmination of Japanese maglev development since the 1970s, a government-funded project initiated by Japan Airlines and the former Japanese National Railways (JNR). Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) now operates the facilities and research. The line is intended to be built by extending and incorporating the existing Yamanashi test track (see below). The trainsets themselves are popularly known in Japan as Linear Motor Car (リニアモーターカー, rinia mōtā kā^?), though there have been many technical variations.