text: A Japanese bullet train has broken the speed record for rail vehicles by reaching 366mph (589km/h). The Maglev train completed a test run on a track in Yamanashi, beating the previous record of 361mph (580km/h) set in 2003. Another attempt is scheduled for tomorrow, and engineers at the Central Japan Railway Company predict it could reach 373mph (600km/h). Scroll down for video . A Japanese bullet train has broken the speed record for rail vehicles by reaching 366mph (589km/h) Maglev trains use magnets to lift the carriages above the track. This eliminates the need for wheels and therefore any incidence of friction, providing a faster and quieter service. Acceleration and deceleration far exceeds that of conventional trains. And maglev also makes for much smoother journeys. Right now speeds are limited at up to 400 kilometres (250 miles) per hour due to the excessive air resistance encountered at these speeds. But vacuum tube designs could allow them to travel over seven times faster in the future. The seven-car train was able to go so fast because it made use of a magnetic charge to lift and move it above a guideway. The technology promises a ride that's smoother, quieter and almost twice as fast as traditional high-speed rail. The speeds, however, won't be as high when the new line between Tokyo and Nagoya comes into service in 2027. According to engineers, the trains will travel at 314mph (505km/h), which will cut the journey time for a 178-mile journey by more than half. For comparison, the UK's HS2 rail line will run at 224mph (360km/h). The Maglev trains are expected to eventually consist of 16 carriages and carry up to 1,000 passengers at a time. Japan is well-established as the world leader in high-speed trains, having developed the first 'bullet train' in 1964 . It is now hoping to bring the technology to the US and has outlined plans for a line between Washington and Baltimore, which will cut travel times between the cities to just 15 minutes. Maglev was first proposed as a method to propel trains as far back as the mid 20th century. The first commercial maglev train to come into operation was a relatively low-speed shuttle at Birmingham International Airport in 1984. This travelled at a rather mundane 26mph (42km/hr). It was not until the turn of the century, though, that high-speed maglev would come into commercial operation, mostly in Japan and China. The technology promises a ride that's smoother, quieter and almost twice as fast as traditional high-speed rail. The speeds won't be as high when the new line between Tokyo and Nagoya comes into service in 2027 . China was the first country to have a commercially-operated Maglev service. The Shanghai Maglev opened to the public in January 2004, and has a top commercial operational speed of 268mph due to the short track length.It cost $1.3billion (£830million) to build. Manufacturers claim that Maglev technology is less polluting than the flights that currently link the cities. But not everyone is convinced that the technology is safe. Andy Kunz, president of the US High Speed Rail Association. told the Los Angeles Times that maglev trains have proved to be expensive, power-intensive, and potentially unsafe. 'The problem is if you have one tiny little settling of the Earth - which happens all the time because of plate tectonics - that can create little movements in the maglev system, which can send trains crashing into stuff,' he said. China was the first country to have a commercially-operated Maglev service. The Shanghai Maglev opened to the public in January 2004, and has a top commercial operational speed of 268mph due to the short track length.It cost $1.3billion (£830million) to build . 'It's a very difficult system to make operational.' A new development called super-maglev could be set to push the limits even higher. Last year, China's first manned megathermal superconducting maglev was been tested successfully by the Applied Superconductivity Laboratory of Southwest Jiaotong University. The technology works by using a vacuum tube to decrease the speed limitations imposed by air resistance on regular maglev trains. 'ETT (Evacuated Tube Transport) systems might allow HTS Maglev trains to attain speeds in a new order of magnitude, such as super-high 3,000km (1,800 miles) per hour, which could be applied to some military or space launch systems,' the researchers write. Pictured on the left is a test model Maglev train from 2003.  Maglev trains use magnets to lift the carriages above the track. On the right, the new Hokuriku 'shinkansen', or bullet train, bound for Tokyo heading out of Kanazawa station in Ishikawa prefecture on March 14 .
target: Seven-car train beat previous record of 361mph (580km/h) set in 2003 .
  It made use of a magnetic charge to lift and move it above a guideway .
  Maglev service between Tokyo and Nagoya will begin running in 2027 .
  Train's engineers are planning new attempt to reach 373mph (600km/h)