BALTIMORE — More than $26 million in federal funding has been axed for the development of a superconducting magnetic levitation (SCMAGLEV) railway system between Washington D.C. and Baltimore, with a stop at BWI Airport.
The $20 billion plus project never really got off the ground.
Back in November 2016 the Federal Railroad Administration awarded the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) $27,800,000 to conduct a preliminary engineering and environmental review of the proposed SCMAGLEV system.
Since releasing a drafted Environmental Impact Statement in January 2021, which generated around 6,000 public comments, the project remained on pause.
At first the Feds and MDOT said extra time was necessary to figure out funding, while also addressing environmental concerns.
Unfortunately, federal and state officials couldn't amend some of the more pressing issues.
On Friday the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) officially announced they're pulling out of the project, calling off plans for an official environmental study.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the project is "no longer feasible," and would likely result in "unresolvable significant effects to federal agencies, federal property, and critical agency infrastructure and operations during project construction and operation."
The department listed at least nine federal agencies that could potentially have been impacted, including the National Security Agency (NSA), U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) , National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Secret Service (USSS), U.S. Department of Interior (DOI), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), National Park Service (NPS), and the Department of Labor (DOL).
U.S. Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy, considered constructing the entire SCMAGLEV system underground, but ancillary features like fresh air/emergency egress still required above ground placement.
Also, Baltimore Washington Rapid Rail, who was tapped to design the project, reportedly advised its 180-acre trainset maintenance facility "likely could not be located underground."
The price of maintaining such a system played a part in Duffy's decision as well, despite initial estimates the project could've created over 70,000 construction related jobs.
SCMAGLEV trains would have to reach speeds of 310 mph to generate enough revenue, considering factors such as power consumption, aerodynamics, and human comfort.
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In order to meet that demand, the Patuxent Wildlife Refuge would've been affected.
Finally, federal officials concluded their initial environmental impact draft may no longer be valid since it was released prior to Congress passing the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act during the Biden Administration.
In March a poll of 500 Maryland residents expressed support for the high-speed train.
Although this particular project is a no go, Duffy didn't close the door on deploying future MAGLEV technology in the U.S.
