Dozens of people gathered at lawyer's mall in Annapolis Monday, rallying for and against the super high speed Maglev train project. Half were for the project. The others say it's not in Maryland's best interest.
The Maglev train promises 300 mile per hour speeds; capable of making the trip from Baltimore to D.C in 15 minutes. Proposed routes are now narrowed down to two.
The east side route would run along Baltimore Washington Parkway and on federal land like the NSA, Fort Meade and NASA Greenbelt.
The second, would run along the edge of B.W Parkway's right of way. Some tracks would be above ground, others in tunnels.
Proponents say Maglev would help the economy and ease congestion. Those against it worry about environmental issues, people's homes and businesses and costs to tax payers.
"The environmental impact and the fact that it's not going to relieve any of the traffic congestion, in fact, imagine what it's going to be like while they're building it. It's going to be a disaster," Lynn Beiber told ABC2.
Those in favor of the project said it will also bring more jobs, be a huge benefit to commuters and make the area more attractive to new business. An environmental impact study should be finished by next year.
If approved, the project could start as early 2020 at an estimated cost of $10-$12 billion dollars.
