USDOT awards $28 million to study Baltimore-D.C. maglev train line

The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded $27.8 million in Federal Railroad Administration funds to conduct studies on building a superconducting magnetic levitation (SCMaglev) train between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced late last week.

The funds will support private-sector efforts to bring SCMaglev trains to the Northeast region. The Baltimore-Washington corridor was one of three corridors in the United States eligible to apply for Maglev projects.

Maryland applied for the federal dollars in April with the understanding that the Japanese government would back the project financially, along with private-sector support from Baltimore-Washington Rapid Rail LLC, according to a Hogan administration press release.

"The ability to travel between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. in only 15 minutes will be absolutely transformative, not just for these two cities, but for our entire state," Hogan said. "This grant will go a long way in helping us determine our next steps in this transportation and economic development opportunity."

In June, Hogan, Maryland Transportation Secretary Pete Rahn and Baltimore-Washington Rapid Rail representatives joined Central Japan Railway Co. executives on a ride along the 27-mile Yamanashi Maglev Line near Tokyo. The JR Central train reached a record 375 mph earlier this year.

While on a trade mission to Asia that started in May, Hogan and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe signed a memorandum of cooperation between Maryland and the Japanese government that included SCMaglev high-speed rail.