L0 Series

L0 Series
A test run of the Improved L0 Series, August 2020
ManufacturerMitsubishi Heavy Industries, Nippon Sharyo, Hitachi Rail
Constructed2011–
Entered service2011
2020 (improved)
2027 (passenger service)
Number built14 vehicles
Number in service12 vehicles (1 set)
FormationTest: 5–12 cars
Operation: 16 cars
CapacityEnd cars: 24
Intermediate cars: 68
OperatorsJR Central
Lines servedCurrent: Yamanashi test track
Future: Chūō Shinkansen
Specifications
Train length299 m (981 ft 0 in) (12-car formation)
Car length28 m (91 ft 10 in) (end cars)
24.3 m (79 ft 9 in) (intermediate cars)
Width2.9 m (9 ft 6 in)[1]
Height3.1 m (10 ft 2 in)[1]
Doors2 × 1 per car
Maximum speedDesign: 550 km/h (342 mph)
Record: 603 km/h (375 mph)
Operational: 500 km/h (311 mph)
Power supplyL0 series: gas turbine-electric[2]
Improved L0 series: unknown
Electric system(s)33 kV AC
Current collector(s)L0 series: none
Improved L0 series: induction (wireless power transfer)
Track gaugeSCMaglev guideway

The L0 Series (Japanese: Lエル0ゼロけい, Hepburn: Eru-zero-kei, "L zero series")[3] is a high-speed maglev train which the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) has been developing and testing. JR Central plans to use the L0 series on the Chūō Shinkansen railway line between Tokyo and Osaka, which is under construction.

The L0 series uses the Japanese-designed SCMaglev system. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Nippon Sharyo, a subsidiary of JR Central, are building fourteen pre-production vehicles.[4]

A seven-car train set a land speed record for rail vehicles of 603 km/h (375 mph) on 21 April 2015.[5] The trains run at a maximum speed of 500 km/h (311 mph),[6] offering journey times of 40 minutes between Tokyo (Shinagawa Station) and Nagoya, and 1 hour 7 minutes between Tokyo and Osaka.[7]

  1. ^ a b "L0 design changes" (PDF). jr-central.co.jp. JR Central. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ リニア試乗11月再開 JR東海 有料2500円程度で [JR Central to resume maglev rides – costing around 2,500 yen]. The Yamanashi Nichinichi Shimbun – Web Edition (in Japanese). Japan: The Yamanashi Nichinichi Shimbun. 20 March 2014. Archived from the original on 25 March 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  4. ^ リニア新車両は三菱重工と日本車輌製造に内定 JR東海社長 [Maglev vehicles to be built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Nippon Sharyo – JR Central President] (in Japanese). Japan: Sankei Shimbun. 21 December 2010. Archived from the original on 23 December 2010. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference guardian20150421 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ JR東海:リニア時速500キロ、試験再開-通勤圏拡大で激変も [JR Central: Maglev testing at 500 km/h resumes – Expanded commuter area to create major upheavals]. Bloomberg (in Japanese). Japan: Bloomberg LP. 29 August 2013. Archived from the original on 30 August 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  7. ^ "JR Tokai unveils a model for the new high-speed maglev train 'L0'". Daily Onigiri. DailyOnigiri.com. 4 November 2010. Archived from the original on 4 August 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2013.