A Japanese bullet train has broken the speed record for rail vehicles by reaching 366mph ( 589km/h ) . The Maglev train completed a test run on a track in Yamanashi , beating the previous record of 361mph ( 580km/h ) set in 2003 . Another attempt is scheduled for tomorrow , and engineers at the Central Japan Railway Company predict it could reach 373mph ( 600km/h ) . Scroll down for video . A Japanese bullet train has broken the speed record for rail vehicles by reaching 366mph ( 589km/h ) Maglev trains use magnets to lift the carriages above the track . This eliminates the need for wheels and therefore any incidence of friction , providing a faster and quieter service . Acceleration and deceleration far exceeds that of conventional trains . And maglev also makes for much smoother journeys . Right now speeds are limited at up to 400 kilometres ( 250 miles ) per hour due to the excessive air resistance encountered at these speeds . But vacuum tube designs could allow them to travel over seven times faster in the future . The seven-car train was able to go so fast because it made use of a magnetic charge to lift and move it above a guideway . The technology promises a ride that 's smoother , quieter and almost twice as fast as traditional high-speed rail . The speeds , however , wo n't be as high when the new line between Tokyo and Nagoya comes into service in 2027 . According to engineers , the trains will travel at 314mph ( 505km/h ) , which will cut the journey time for a 178-mile journey by more than half . For comparison , the UK 's HS2 rail line will run at 224mph ( 360km/h ) . The Maglev trains are expected to eventually consist of 16 carriages and carry up to 1,000 passengers at a time . Japan is well-established as the world leader in high-speed trains , having developed the first 'bullet train ' in 1964 . It is now hoping to bring the technology to the US and has outlined plans for a line between Washington and Baltimore , which will cut travel times between the cities to just 15 minutes . Maglev was first proposed as a method to propel trains as far back as the mid 20th century . The first commercial maglev train to come into operation was a relatively low-speed shuttle at Birmingham International Airport in 1984 . This travelled at a rather mundane 26mph ( 42km/hr ) . It was not until the turn of the century , though , that high-speed maglev would come into commercial operation , mostly in Japan and China . The technology promises a ride that 's smoother , quieter and almost twice as fast as traditional high-speed rail . The speeds wo n't be as high when the new line between Tokyo and Nagoya comes into service in 2027 . China was the first country to have a commercially-operated Maglev service . The Shanghai Maglev opened to the public in January 2004 , and has a top commercial operational speed of 268mph due to the short track length.It cost $ 1.3billion ( £830million ) to build . Manufacturers claim that Maglev technology is less polluting than the flights that currently link the cities . But not everyone is convinced that the technology is safe . Andy Kunz , president of the US High Speed Rail Association . told the Los Angeles Times that maglev trains have proved to be expensive , power-intensive , and potentially unsafe . 'The problem is if you have one tiny little settling of the Earth - which happens all the time because of plate tectonics - that can create little movements in the maglev system , which can send trains crashing into stuff , ' he said . China was the first country to have a commercially-operated Maglev service . The Shanghai Maglev opened to the public in January 2004 , and has a top commercial operational speed of 268mph due to the short track length.It cost $ 1.3billion ( £830million ) to build . 'It 's a very difficult system to make operational . ' A new development called super-maglev could be set to push the limits even higher . Last year , China 's first manned megathermal superconducting maglev was been tested successfully by the Applied Superconductivity Laboratory of Southwest Jiaotong University . The technology works by using a vacuum tube to decrease the speed limitations imposed by air resistance on regular maglev trains . 'ETT ( Evacuated Tube Transport ) systems might allow HTS Maglev trains to attain speeds in a new order of magnitude , such as super-high 3,000km ( 1,800 miles ) per hour , which could be applied to some military or space launch systems , ' the researchers write . Pictured on the left is a test model Maglev train from 2003 . Maglev trains use magnets to lift the carriages above the track . On the right , the new Hokuriku 'shinkansen ' , or bullet train , bound for Tokyo heading out of Kanazawa station in Ishikawa prefecture on March 14 .
Seven-car train beat previous record of 361mph ( 580km/h ) set in 2027 . It made use of a magnetic charge to lift and move it above a guideway . Maglev service between Tokyo and Nagoya will begin running in 2003 . Train 's engineers are planning new attempt to reach 373mph ( 600km/h )