Why Bullet Trains Don't Have Brakes And What Actually Stops Them

Comments · 239

• SI

  @SimplyCurious1205 · 3 months ago · pinned

  Most people think a bullet train stops because of normal brake pads — but at 200 mph, friction brakes would create impossible heat. The real secret is a sequence of electric regeneration, magnetic resistance, and precision computer control. What other high-speed technology do you think works differently than people imagine?

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• SI

  @SimplebutSurprising · 4 months ago

  I knew EVs had regenerative braking, but I had no idea bullet trains were doing this at such a massive scale. Engineering is wild.

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• ME

  @MegaGeorge1948 · 4 months ago (edited)

  This article is TOO verbose. Just say that electric powered high speed trains slow down before stopping by converting its kinetic energy to electrical energy by turning the traction motors into electrical generators, putting that electricity back into the power grid to slow the train down before the friction brakes take over. Also, the visuals are not accurate to the subject.

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• IN

  @intrifix4536 · 1 month ago

  Watching a video of a train "colliding with" (as in, going right through it without any visible deceleration) a semi-truck also makes you realize what a ludicrous amount of kinetic energy a (fast) moving train has.

• LU

  @LucindaBertha · 4 months ago

  Love seeing physics and engineering working together instead of against each other. Japan always ahead!

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• CÁ

  @cáthồ-d8g · 4 months ago

  Never realized they start braking like 4 miles out. That’s some serious planning lol

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• NI

  @nightphantom9880 · 3 months ago

  Love the content broski 🎉👍🔥❤

• MA

  @MartinMi-c4i · 4 months ago

  So wild how they use 4 different systems just to slow down. Engineering is next level here!

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• EW

  @ewingtaylor5487 · 4 months ago

  Good explanation. Please STOP with the annoying busy background music.

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• MA

  @Machino2.o · 4 months ago

  Mind blown that the brakes barely do the actual stopping. A bullet train slowing down is basically a perfectly choreographed energy transfer system, not just metal grinding on metal

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• PO

  @popozz · 4 months ago

  An interesting Fact 2 <br>In Japan, there is a target standard stipulating that high-speed trains running on dedicated tracks must come to a stop within 4,000 meters after applying the emergency brakes, while other trains must do so within 600 meters. Generally speaking, these standards are met. <br>In other words, in Japan, how fast a train can go depends on how quickly it can stop. Of course, there are also noise standards and other regulations. <br>This is why 320 km/h is the speed limit for Japanese railways, although theoretically, speeds up to 360 km/h are considered safe, however, the conditions required to run at 360 km/h are met on only a few short sections of track. Since it is not feasible to incur significant costs for a travel time difference of less than a minute, it is unlikely that trains will ever run at speeds exceeding 320 km/h.

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• KC

  @kc3302 · 4 months ago

  Electric motors do NOT operate in reverse during regenerative breaking.

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