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[-] HiddenLayer555@lemmy.ml 3 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Isn't the Chuo Shinkansen expected to have less capacity than the regular Shinkansen lines? I think the point that they'd be better off digging their tunnel and then running normal trains in it still stands. You'd still get a speed increase just by virtue of having a tunnel underground that takes a straighter path between cities.

As a side note (and I'm not counting this as an argument against the Chuo Shinkansen since it's my speculation): Japan's maglev technology uses large amounts of liquid helium and liquid nitrogen in the trains. I'm sure they've thought about this already, but there's a massive safety hazard if the cryogenic liquid leaks out because it will instantly turn to gas, displace all the oxygen in the enclosed tunnel, and pose a suffocation risk. They probably have some insanely complicated and expensive system to keep the inside of the cabin oxygenated if that does happen, which could have been avoided with normal trains.

[-] noxypaws@pawb.social 2 points 5 days ago

728 passengers per train on L0 trains vs 1323 on N700 trains, yeah it's lower capacity but it's a brand new line that's adding that much capacity, not subtracting from existing capacity. And they're already building it, and have been giving passengers rides on the test track for years.

Why would they be better off abandoning proven technology with construction well underway, costs very securely under control, and clear and strong demand, just because some foreigners balk at the cost and timeline? Like, this is Japan, they don't fuck around with this kind of stuff without damn good reason.

Also worth keeping in mind this speed puts the route in competition with air travel, in terms of cost and energy efficiency, so not only could it relieve some pressure from the Tokaido shinkansen but also regional airports.

this post was submitted on 18 Jun 2025
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