When it comes to building high-speed trains Japan is continuing to embarrass the rest of the world, with the latest line, approved by the government this Friday, capable of travelling the 178 miles from Tokyo to Nagoya in just 40 minutes

This is less than half the time it currently takes the celebrated Shinkansen bullet train to travel the route, with trains on the Chūō Shinkansen line reaching speeds of 300 mph thanks to their maglev (magnetic levitation) technology.

Maglev uses extremely powerful superconducting magnets to float the train 10cm above the track, allowing for frictionless movement. The technology has previously been used to build short demonstration lines in cities including Tokyo, but the Tokyo-Nagoya route will be the first functioning intercity route.

A 43-kilometer test track that will be opening up in November this year proved so popular with the Japanese public that more than 150,000 individuals applied for 1,200 pairs of seats, with the winners to be decided by lottery.

Japanese bullet trains: in pictures Show all 7 1 /7 Japanese bullet trains: in pictures Japanese bullet trains: in pictures Bullet trains (1974) Japanese bullet trains lying idle at Shinagawa Railway Station during a 24 hour transport strike. Japanese bullet trains: in pictures Hayabusa bullet train (2011) Japan's 'Hayabusa' bullet train passes through a station in Tokyo in 2011. Japanese bullet trains: in pictures Bullet train and Mt Fuji (2001) A 500-type bullet train passes in front of Mt. Fuji in Shizuoka in 2001. Japanese bullet trains: in pictures JR East's 'Fastech 360S' (2005) Japanese bullet trains: in pictures Bullet train and snow (2014) A bullet train arrives at JR Tokyo Station amid snow in February 2014. Japanese bullet trains: in pictures N700 bullet train (2007) Japanese bullet trains: in pictures Derailed bullet train (2013) The Akita Shinkansen train derailed in March 2013 amid heavy snow fall. No-one was injured.

Central Japan Railway Co (JR Central) plan to finish the work by 2027 before extending the line from Nagoya to Osaka before 2045. This second route will travel 331 miles in just 67 minutes, shortening the current travel time of 138 minutes.

The Tokyo-Nagoya route will reportedly pass by Mt Fjui, but commuters hoping for a breath-taking (if blurred) view the whole way round will be disappointed – with 86 per cent of the line run through tunnels, with some travelling 40 metres below ground when passing under urban areas.

The estimated cost of the line to Nagoya is ¥5.5 trillion (£32 billion) with the full Osaka line running up a bill of around ¥9 trillion.