Maglev test drive experience record Run on the ground and experience 503 km / h!

I took a test drive on a linear motor car

Now, as a vehicle that runs on the groundAs I wrote the other day, it became possible to test drive a linear motor car with a maximum speed of 500 km / h.However, it is a record when I finally got on the train!

Click here for the linear motor car you boarded. It is a vehicle called the new model L0 series. The passengers can take a picture of the last linear motor car they got on, though it is through the glass, in front of them. The number of participants is not so large, so if you wait for a while, it would be nice to be able to take family photos and couple photos in front of this linear train!

What a long nose ... (is it a nose?).

The linear motor car test drive vehicle was like an old Shinkansen

Well, I will get in immediately. The first impression I had when I saw the inside of the car was, "Oh, it feels like an old Shinkansen." I wondered if it would be more futuristic even if it looked like the same Shinkansen, but I was a little surprised at the old-fashioned Shinkansen (= I don't feel new at all ...) seats.

Of course, since it is in the test run stage, I am only using seats that can be used for the time being, and it may be more futuristic when actually driving in the future, but for the time being, it looks like this.

Even if you look closely, you can't help but feel the old Shinkansen (laughs). Even if you just show this picture and say "I got on a little", no one would think that it is a linear motor car (laughs).

Very ordinary tables, nets, and cup holders. I didn't check if the seats could be "rotated" so that four people could sit facing each other, but for the time being, they were all supposed to ride in the same direction, so they didn't have to turn the seats. sit. Reclining is usually possible at the level of the Shinkansen.

Luggage storage is also common and can be used. The Shinkansen is so normal that it makes me wonder if I'm going on a business trip to Osaka as it is (laughs).

A monitor is installed inside the linear motor car, and it is possible to check the running speed.

However! The only thing that is completely different from the ordinary Shinkansen is that a monitor is installed inside the car. Several monitors are installed in one vehicle so that the monitors can be seen from every seat.

Yes, most of the linear motor cars run "inside the tunnel", so you can't see the outside scenery. Moreover, I don't know how many kilometers per hour it is going to be too fast, so I can see the driving image and the actual speed on the monitor.

Video of the inside of a linear motor car at 500 km / h

And here is a video of running at 500km / h! Around has a little Toka child's voice came of it, or you'll see the have sounded downright much sound of "Tsu your ｰｰｰｰ". Also, you can see the speed from the light flowing outside the window.

The impression of getting on the linear motor car was, in a word, "like an airplane when flying calmly". An airplane (that is, it doesn't shake so much) when it's flying calmly always makes a "wow" sound. That goo sound that disappears cleanly when you wear noise canceling headphones (laughs).

That kind of sound has been echoing all the time, and it's still floating, so it feels like an airplane is flying. But like an airplane, if you don't look at the monitor or window, you won't feel that "Wow, 500km / h!"

The maximum speed of the linear motor car on that day was 503km!

↓ This is when the maximum speed of the day "503km" was recorded. It's a photo session all at once in the car (laughs).

Another reason why I thought this linear motor car was close to a "airplane in peacetime" is that there are "floating from tire running" and "tire running from ascending".

Maglev runs on tires at the start (not on wheels on rails). It starts with tire running, and when the speed rises to about 160 km / h, the tires are stowed and floated, and the running changes to so-called magnetic force.

At the time of starting to float, I can only understand "the difference in sound = the change from the sound of rolling tires to the sound of floating tires", but at the time of landing, I can understand it well. Here is a video of the landing. After all, when the vehicle decelerates to about 160 km / h, it will land on the tires with the announcement that it will switch to tire driving.

Did you understand? The car body is shaking a little when it changes to tire running. This also had a "landing feeling" like the so-called "when the plane landed very peacefully". Therefore, the overall impression was that it was like an airplane in peacetime.

Toilet in a linear motor car

Also, this time it was a test run period, so it was prohibited to use it, but for the time being, a toilet was also installed. Although it is not possible for experience passengers to use it, I think that in the test run when there are no passengers, we are actually experimenting with using the toilet while driving.

Even so, even in the direction of travel, 500 km / h was generally accepted as "Hey, this is 500 km / h!", But what surprised me was that the speed was 500 km / h, even in the opposite direction. I ran in. Well, it's facing behind and the speed is 500km / h? !! When I thought, I immediately reached 500 km / h. As expected, I was a little drunk at 500km / h backwards (laughs). It's a good experience.

It was a pretty quick ride experience. It seems that people and the environment get used to it immediately, and I was so excited before I got on the train, but when I started riding and experienced 500 km / h, I got used to the round trip after that. It was like "? Yes, yes", and at the end it felt like everyone was riding the Shinkansen normally (laughs). Small children are sleeping (laughs).

But but! It's hard to have such an experience, and it was really good. Thank you, JR Central, for giving us a very valuable experience!

Rika (911supercars.com)

I'm Rika, the author of this article. Ever since Porsche 911 became my favorite car, I've become totally addicted to Porsche, and I can't stop loving Porsche, so I started this blog. My favorite cars are 911 Carrera (991.2), 911 Carrera Cabriolet (992.1), and 911 Carrera T (992.1).