The first test phase for a train capable of reaching 400 kilometers per hour starts in Japan: according to Bloomberg, ALFA-X is the fastest train in the world. At the moment.
ALFA-X stands for Advanced Labs for Frontline Activity in rail eXperimentation: a rather resounding acronym for the new 10-wagon train developed by the East Japan Railway (JR East).
This is just the latest of the boundaries Japan has overcome in terms of railway technology, and already other developments are on the horizon: ALFA-X will soon be dethroned by the Maglev between Tokyo and Nagoya scheduled for 2027, which will reach a speed of 505km per hour.
Why not first?
David Grossman in an article on Popular Mechanics provides the answer: it involves integrating a train with a totally different concept onto existing systems. ALFA-X is longer than current trains and has a 22 meter long "nose", for aerodynamic and sound reasons, reducing noise at the entrance to the tunnels.
And then the features of ALFA-X deserve the tests that are announced (two test trips a week for 3 years): temperature and vibration sensors practically everywhere, air brakes on the roof in addition to the traditional ones, magnetic platforms to be combined with particular points of the route and vibration reduction systems to reduce the impact of possible earthquakes.
