DHAKA: Japan’s state-of-the-art maglev train set a world speed record Tuesday in a test run near Mount Fuji, clocking more than 600 kilometers an hour.

The seven-car maglev, short for ‘magnetic levitation’, train, hit a top speed of 603 kilometers an hour, and managed nearly 11 seconds over 600kph Central Japan Railway said.

The new record came less than a week after the company clocked 590kph, by breaking its own 2003 record of 581 kph.

The maglev hovers 10 centimeters above the tracks and is propelled by electrically charged magnets, reports The Straits Times.

BDST: 1535 HRS, APR 21, 2015
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