The L0 series’ 2015 maglev speed record was 603 km/h.
Central Japan Railway Company, or JR Central, recorded the speed with a manned seven-car L0 trainset on 21 April 2015 at the Yamanashi Maglev Test Line in Japan. The run established a world record for a manned rail vehicle and surpassed the previous 581 km/h record set by Japan’s MLX01 maglev in 2003.
The L0 series uses superconducting magnetic levitation, commonly called SCMaglev. Unlike conventional trains, it is designed to travel without ordinary wheel-to-rail contact at high speed, using magnetic forces for levitation and guidance. Its development is tied to the planned Chūō Shinkansen linking Tokyo and Osaka.
The 603 km/h figure was achieved during testing, not in normal passenger service. The planned commercial operating speed is about 500 km/h, which is why 500 km/h is a tempting but incorrect option. The record run reached its peak briefly while carrying JR Central employees.