TOKYO — Japan will begin testing the world's fastest Shinkansen bullet-train which is capable of reaching speeds of up to 400 kilometers per hour.<br /><br />According to Bloomberg, Japanese rail company JR East will begin testing its fastest bullet train called Alfa-X this Friday between the cities of Aomori and Sendai over the next three years.<br /><br />Alfa-X stands for 'Advanced Labs for Frontline Activity in rail eXperimentation.' It has ten passenger cars and an elongated nose at the front measuring 22 meters.<br /><br />The train will operate three types of brakes: standard brakes, airbrakes on its roof and magnetic plates at the rails.<br /><br />Dampers and air suspension systems will help the train stabilize on curves. JR East plans on letting the Alpha-X run at 360 kilometers per hour, that is 10 kilometers per hour faster than China's Fuxing Hao train which is capable of reaching the same top speeds.<br /><br />The Alfa-X is scheduled to go into service in 2030.
