A magnetic levitation train run by Central Japan Railway Co. set a world speed record of 590 kph on Thursday during a manned test run on an experimental track, the railway company said.

The train operator broke the previous world record of 581 km per hour set by itself in December 2003 and plans to try to run its maglev train as fast as 600 km per hour next week.

The seven-car maglev train ran at the top speed for 19 seconds during the test using new LO-series cars on the track between Uenohara and Fuefuki in Yamanashi Prefecture, west of Tokyo, the company said.

The new record comes just a few days after JR Central made a world single-day running distance record of 4,064 km, far exceeding the previous record of 2,876 km it set in 2003.

All the world records have been achieved as the company is stepping up preparations to start its maglev train services in 2027 to connect Tokyo's Shinagawa Station with Nagoya, which are 286 km apart, in 40 minutes. That will be less than half the time existing bullet trains take to make the trip.

The company plans to conduct another test run as soon as next Tuesday to run its maglev at a top speed of about 600 kph.