Lifeboat Foundation

The picture of a “bullet train” speeding past Mount Fuji is an iconic image of modern Japan.

In recent years, however, Japan has lost the “world’s fastest train” title to China — if only by a few miles per hour. But now, Japan plans to reclaim that crown, with a new bullet train that will whisk between cities with journey times that rival passenger jets.

The Alfa-X train, unveiled by rail company JR East, will carry passengers at up to 224 miles per hour, outpacing the fastest Japanese bullet trains in commercial service today by almost 25 miles per hour.