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.
The project's remained on pause since a drafted Environmental Impact Statement was released in January 2021, generating about 6,000 public comments.
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 come together on some complex 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 or emergency egress would still require above ground placement.
Also, Baltimore Washington Rapid Rail, the project's lead designer, had doubts about its maintenance facility operating underground.
The price of maintaining such a system played a part in Duffy's decision as well.
To generate enough revenue, SCMAGLEV trains would have to reach speeds of 310 mph when 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 negatively impacted.
Finally, federal officials determined the environmental impact draft may no longer be valid especially since Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act during the Biden Administration.
Early estimates indicated the project could've created over 70,000 construction related jobs.
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.
