THE THRILL OF SPEED
66 | July• 2019
PHOTOS (CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT): GETTY IMAGES/STOCKTREK IMAGES; GETTY
IMAGES/CHRIS & MONIQUE FALLOWS/NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY; GETTY IMAGES/AERIFORM; PICTURE ALLIANCE/DPA/JR TOKAI
A jet races by overhead,
and shortly thereafter there is a
loud bang. The plane has broken the
sound barrier. At speeds of over 1200
kilometres per hour, sound waves
ahead of the aircraft are compressed
and spread out behind it in a conical
shape. Whoever the cone passes over
hears the sonic boom.
Even faster than flying!
On a test run, the Japanese Maglev
became the world’s fastest-ever
train by reaching an astonishing
603 kilometres per hour. A Maglev
link between Tokyo and the city
of Nagoya is set to open in 2027.
A section of the journey covering
350 kilometres will take about 40
minutes. That’s 20 minutes quicker
than by plane.