http://cache.gawker.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/gizmodo.com.png http://gizmodo.com/tag/shinkansen http://gizmodo.com/tag/shinkansen It may be the world's fastest, a maglev bullet train capable of exceeding 500 kph (310 mph), but it feels like the world's slowest to arrive. JR Central announced today that it would deploy its maglev system in 2025 to carry commuters between Tokyo and central Japan (despite one test of the technology resulting in a crash, and the death of 23 people, last year). The cost will not be minimal either—$44.7 billion—which is why the company's stock fell nearly 9% after it made the announcement. And the Japanese government can't/won't bankroll it. In the meantime, the maglev train in Shanghai may get longer and faster, and proposed projects in Germany and even the US could take off too. [AFP/SMH]

]]> Wed, 26 Dec 2007 09:04:29 EST Wilson Rothman http://gizmodo.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=337580&view=rss&microfeed=true Japanese folks love the shinkansen. Like, a lot. We're not just talking the way kids love dump trucks, we're talking about the shinkansen merch business being a multi-million dollar industry, of which this groovy N700 (one of the fastest of the bunch) cell strap is a shining example. Sure, the real thing only has 16 cars per train, but with snap-on packs of middle cars (sold separately, of course), you can make your pocket N700 big enough for all your bullet-train-loving friends. And who can blame you— what's not to love about super-fast, always-on-time, future-stylin' trains that glide across the countryside as if on rails of butter? [Strapya]

]]> Mon, 03 Dec 2007 23:37:00 EST dango http://gizmodo.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=329543&view=rss&microfeed=true