Japan’s L0 Series set the world rail speed record of 603 km/h during a 2015 maglev test run.
The record was achieved on 21 April 2015 at the Yamanashi Maglev Test Line. The L0 train is a superconducting maglev vehicle, meaning it is lifted and guided by magnetic forces rather than rolling continuously on conventional steel wheels. The record run covered a short test section rather than a normal passenger journey.
The L0 Series was developed for the Chūō Shinkansen, a planned maglev line intended to connect Tokyo and Nagoya, with a later extension toward Osaka. Its commercial design speed is lower than the test record, because regular service must account for stations, acceleration, braking and operating conditions.
The E5 and N700 are conventional Shinkansen families, not maglev trains. The L0 record therefore concerns a fundamentally different propulsion and suspension system from Japan’s familiar high-speed electric trains.