As trains in the United States remain firmly planted in the horse-and-buggy era, the rest of the world leaps ahead, and here's the fastest wheeled train yet, the phallic-looking 224mph Fastech 360Z. The working prototype of the next-generation bullet train was unveiled to the press in Japan by the East Japan Railway. A company spokesman said the six-car land rocket was even capable of traveling at 310mph on a test run.

The company qualifies its "world's fastest" claim with the term "wheeled" because there are maglev trains that are faster, including Central Japan Railway's JR-Maglev MLX01, a prototype that's reached a speed of 361mph.

Japan unveils the fastest train in the world [Physorg.com]

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