????如果沒有擁擠的日本沿海地區那種令人難以置信的人口密度，以及這種密度蘊含的收入前景，這類項目往往需要政府補貼。日本中央鐵路公司最近宣布將在沒有納稅人幫助的情況下，建造東京至大阪的磁懸浮線路。這家公司將承擔第一站的建設成本，建成后，磁懸浮列車的時速將達到311英里（約合500公里），從東京到名古屋只需40分鐘。分析師表示，這條穿越地球上人口最稠密地區的線路將會有巨大的需求和投資回報，盡管該項目需要經歷相當長的醞釀期——東京至大阪的“中央線”要到2045年才能全線開通。

????“我們預計，中央線磁懸浮項目的總成本將高達9.5萬億日元（約合930億美元）。至2050年，這條線路很可能將產生不高于這個十年開始時的經常性盈利，”麥格理集團( Macquarie Group)常駐東京的運輸分析師尼古拉斯?坎寧安說。

????盡管東北磁懸浮公司盡了最大努力，但如果沒有日本人或財大氣粗的投資者的鼎力支持，他們還將面臨艱難險阻。東北磁懸浮公司聲稱，到目前為止，它已經從美國私人投資者手中募集了4,000萬美元資金。可持續交通雜志EVworld.com在一篇評論中表示，歸根結底，這個項目能否啟動將取決于能夠募集多少資金。“美國是否應該進行如此規模的投資？從表面看，答案或許是否定的，至少在波士頓至華盛頓特區走廊擁有相當于日本或中國那樣的人口密度（唯如此，這種成本開支才是合理的）之前是這樣，”這篇評論這樣寫道。“我們還是先讓美國鐵路公司的阿西樂特快列車充分發揮其時速150英里的潛力，而不是目前的80英里時速。然后再考慮像高鐵這種更符合21世紀潮流的交通方式吧。”（財富中文網）

????譯者：葉寒

????Without the mind-boggling population density found in the crowded Japanese coasts and the revenues that promises, projects like these often require government subsidies. JR Central recently announced that it would be building its Tokyo to Osaka maglev service without taxpayers' help. JR Central is privately funding the construction cost of the first leg, which will operate at 311 miles per hour to connect Tokyo and Nagoya in just 40 minutes. Passing along the most densely populated crust of Earth ever traversed by man, there will be massive demand and returns on investment, say analysts, despite the project's long gestation period. The Osaka Tokyo "Chuo Line" won't open till 2045.

????"The Chuo Linear maglev project, which we estimate at Y9.5 trillion total cost (around $93 billion) will likely result in a 2050 recurring profit no higher than the start of this decade," says Nicholas Cunningham, a Tokyo-based transport analyst at Macquarie Group.

????Despite their best efforts, TNEM has a steep hill to climb without serious backing from the Japanese or deep-pocketed investors. So far, TNEM says it has raised $40 million from private U.S. investors. It will all come down to the numbers, says an editorial in sustainable transportation magazine EVworld.com. "Should this nation [the U.S.] make this level of investment? On the face of it, the answer is probably no, at least not until those mega-regions like the Boston-D.C. corridor, have population densities comparable to Japan or China, which could justify the expense," says the editorial. "First, we need to get Amtrak's Acela running at its full potential of 150 mph, instead of it current average of 80 mph. Then let's consider something more 21st century like high-speed rail."