Faster than planes? China and Japan’s 600kmph maglevs trains aim to replace air travel

More than a century after magnetic levitation was first conceptualised by early 20th-century inventors, the dream of wingless flight on rails has matured into an intense geopolitical race. In East Asia, floating trains travelling at a staggering 370 mph (600 km/h) are positioning high-speed rail to rival commercial air travel.

At the centre of this technological leap are China and Japan, two nations leveraging advanced electromagnetic physics to redefine ground transport. A commercial flight throttles at 550 mph (885 km/h), and the maglev train can almost fly at 370 mph (600 km/h), contrary to the standard high-speed variant, which zooms at 217 mph (350 km/h).

VIDEO OF THE TRAIN

China’s Mega-Network Vision

State-backed manufacturer CRRC rolled out a 370 mph (600 km/h) maglev train prototype built to bridge the gap between traditional bullet trains and aviation. Running on electromagnetic suspension, the vessel glides millimetres above its guide track without mechanical friction. China’s engineers have worked through complex aerodynamic hurdles such as designing porous, shock-absorbing tunnel buffers to eliminate ‘tunnel boom’ air compression when entering tight mountain passages at top speeds.

If deployed on the high-density Beijing-to-Shanghai corridor, the 370 mph (600 km/h) maglev would slash travel times from roughly four hours down to 2.5 hours, matching door-to-door flight schedules while dramatically cutting carbon emissions.

Japan’s Engineering Frontier

Japan, which pioneered modern bullet trains with the Shinkansen, is countering with its Chuo Shinkansen line. Built on Superconducting Magnetic Levitation (SCMAGLEV) technology, Japanese test trains hit a record-breaking 375 mph (603 km/h) on experimental tracks.

Designed to link Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka, Japan's system uses powerful niobium-titanium magnets cooled to ultra-low temperatures, enabling stable levitation over a 10-centimeter gap. The line will cut the Tokyo-to-Nagoya trip to just 40 minutes and extend to Osaka in roughly an hour.

For nearly 100 years, maglev remained constrained by astronomical infrastructure costs, complex power demands, and severe structural engineering requirements. Today, both nations view 370-mph (600 km/h) ground transportation not just as an engineering spectacle but as essential national infrastructure designed to decongest domestic airspace, link economic megaregions, and export world-leading transit technology globally.

As these floating bullet trains move from experimental tracks to major transit hubs, the future of intercity travel is arriving at near-sonic speeds.