INSIGHT: A dream express in 10 years? Japan's maglev shinkansen now eyed for 2036 run

TOKYO - For more than half a century, Japan has dreamed of a magnetic levitation train that could whisk passengers between Tokyo and Osaka far faster than the Tokaido Shinkansen bullet trains. That dream is now one step closer -- but also further away than ever.

The massive project to build a maglev shinkansen line through the country's central mountains cleared a major obstacle to move ahead in July, with construction of a key tunnel now set to begin by the year-end. Yet the opening of the line to Nagoya, once targeted for 2027, is now eyed for 2036 at the earliest, and completion of the track to Osaka remains out of sight.