Nagoya-Tokyo maglev trains will float faster than a speeding bullet

The Japanese government has approved an application by Central Japan Railway to build a magnetically levitated train line linking Tokyo and Nagoya by 2027 - a costly project that faces significant technical hurdles.

The firm is expected to start construction this month on the project that will reduce travel time between the cities to only 40 minutes, compared with at least 88 minutes by the current bullet train.

The company, also known as JR Tokai, plans to extend the line further westward to Osaka by 2045, shortening the trip between the two major Japanese cities to 67 minutes from the current 138 minutes minimum travel time for a bullet train. The overall cost of the work is estimated at 9 trillion yen (about HK$650 billion).

JR Tokai filed the application in August with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, which is monitoring the safety measures and environmental impact of the project.

Transport minister Akihiro Ota said there was concern about the project's environmental impact, pointing to the need for JR Tokai to win acceptance from local residents.

The Tokyo-Nagoya maglev train line will pass through seven prefectures.