Magnet Train
The Magnet Train (Japanese: リニアモーターカー Linear Motorcar) is found in Johto and Kanto during the Generation II and IV games. It runs between Goldenrod City and Saffron City twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. It allows rapid travel between the two cities, going at over 340 mi/h (550 km/h).
Initially, the train is out of service as a minion of Team Rocket has stolen a valuable part from the Power Plant in Kanto. After defeating him in Cerulean City, players can retrieve the part from the Cerulean City Gym and return it to the Power Plant. With the component back in place, the train will have the necessary power to run.
To board the train, a potential rider must have a Pass. The Copycat of Saffron City has one (given to her as compensation for the fact that the station in Saffron is built where her house used to be), and is willing to give it up as a reward for returning her Poké Doll that a boy gave to her three years before, which is located in Vermilion City.
Of the three methods offered in the game to commute between Johto and Kanto, the Magnet Train is much faster and runs more often than the S.S. Aqua, which runs on a set schedule between Olivine City and Vermilion City.
In Generation II, the Magnet Train runs on the railway tracks along the ground. In Generation IV, the train and its station run along an elevated track, much like a monorail, though this track goes underground as it approaches Saffron City.
Trivia
- This is most likely based on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen bullet train that runs from Tokyo to Osaka. Tokyo and Osaka are Saffron City and Goldenrod City's real-world counterparts, respectively.
- The Tōkaidō Shinkansen is powered by an electrical overhead catenary; while the Magnet Train is a maglev, propelled by a moving magnetic field.
- In HeartGold and SoulSilver, the Magnet Train's tracks are visible on Route 32, traveling overhead.
