Japan's first commercially operating magnetic-levitation train opened for business Sunday, carrying passengers along a 8.9-kilometer (5.5-mile) track that will serve as one of the main links to the 2005 World Fair. The linear motor car, or Linimo, departed Banpaku Yakusa station near the central Japanese city of Nagoya at 5:30 a.m. (2050 GMT Saturday), Aichi prefectural (state) government official Yukihiro Nakano said. The train, which cost an estimated 20 billion yen (US$190 million; ¤145 million), resembles other Japanese lines in appearance except that it has no wheels and travels on an electromagnetic cushion several centimeters (inches) above its tracks. Its tracks are built to withstand a magnitude-7 quake, which can cause extensive damage if centered near a populated area. The Expo site, in Toyota city, is one of the stops along its route. The six-month Aichi Expo begins March 25. Public broadcaster NHK showed about 100 Japanese filing onto the train for the inaugural 15-minute trip to the terminus. Japan has been experimenting with a high-speed maglev line for years but the train _ which has clocked a world-record top speed of 581 kph (361 mph) _ hasn't been approved for commercial use yet.
