Maryland SCMaglev awarded federal grant

The Northeast Maglev

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) awarded a $27.8-million grant to the state of Maryland for preconstruction and planning costs for the potential development of a Superconducting Magnetic Levitation (SCMaglev) train between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Md.

The funding may be applied to preconstruction planning, engineering analysis and other capital costs for fixed guideway infrastructure. 

Maglev trains operating in Japan routinely travel at speeds in excess of 300 miles per hour and have been tested at speeds approaching 400 miles per hour. FRA will evaluate the viability of this maglev project to achieve its high safety standards while assessing the potential of this technology to address future intercity travel needs. 

In 2005, Congress authorized $90 million for maglev transportation projects that would be capable of safely transporting passengers faster than 240 miles per hour.

The Baltimore-Washington corridor was one of three corridors in the United States eligible to apply for these funds for Maglev projects. The Maryland application for the federal grant was submitted in April with the understanding that the Japanese government will be a source of significant financial backing for the project, along with private-sector support from Baltimore-Washington Rapid Rail LLC.

“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,” Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said. “This grant will go a long way in helping us determine our next steps in this transportation and economic development opportunity.”

In support of these private-sector efforts to explore building high-speed rail in Maryland, on June 4, Gov. Hogan and Maryland Transportation Secretary Pete Rahn joined executives from the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) and the Baltimore-Washington Rapid Rail to ride the 27-mile-long Yamanashi Maglev Line located outside of Tokyo, Japan.

“The experience of riding on SCMaglev was something that greatly exceeded my expectations,” said Secretary Rahn. “Maryland will be on the leading edge of technology as the only state in the nation with the private-sector-led pursuit of SCMaglev.”

The high-speed rail line is equipped with SCMaglev technologies, which uses magnetic forces to accelerate trains smoothly and rapidly to speeds of more than 300 miles per hour while levitating inches off the ground. The JR Central train achieved a record-breaking 375 miles per hour earlier this year.

During his trade mission to Asia in May, Gov. Hogan and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed on a Memorandum of Cooperation between the state of Maryland and the government of Japan. Specific areas of cooperation outlined in the Memorandum of Cooperation included: high-speed rail, specifically SCMaglev; liquefied natural gas; life sciences; trade and investment and academics.

“We are very pleased to see this funding announced,” said Japanese Ambassador Kenichir Sasae. “Working with the United States government, the state of Maryland and Baltimore-Washington Rapid Rail, we will prove that this cutting-edge Japanese technology will be a great asset to the busy Northeast Corridor.”