Japan's levitating maglev train reaches 500km/h (311mph)

Train fans have experienced the speed of super-fast maglev trains, during test runs for members of the public in central Japan.

One hundred passengers whizzed along a 42.8km (27 mile) route between the cities of Uenohara and Fuefuki, reaching speeds of up to 500km/h (311mph).

The Central Japan Railway Company is running eight days of testing for the experimental maglev Shinkansen train on its test track in Yamanashi Prefecture.

The maglev trains are even faster than Japan's famous bullet trains, which currently travel at about 320km/h (200mph).

They use magnetic levitation, hence the name, to "float" above the train tracks.

[Youtube/BBC]