PHOTO of high speed train courtesy of SCMAGLEV.
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Officials have awarded $28 million for research into the feasibility of the ambitious maglev project, the Washington Post reported, with the initial proposal focusing on the section between DC and Baltimore, a journey a maglev train could make in 15 minutes instead of the usual hour. “This grant will go a long way in helping us determine our next steps in this transportation and economic development opportunity”.
For the federal grant, Maryland’s department of transportation has submitted an application in April, with an understanding that the Japanese Government and private group Baltimore-Washington Rapid Rail would provide significant financial backing for the project.
Preconstruction planning, engineering analysis and other capital costs for fixed guideway infrastructure will be carried out on building a high-speed rail line that would carry passengers between Washington and Baltimore in about 15min.
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.
The Japanese government plans to build a new high-speed maglev line between Tokyo and Nagoya which is being developed Central Japan Railway Company according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.
Hogan, a Republican, rode a maglev train during a visit to Japan earlier this year and has become a major booster of the project.
Maglev technology uses magnets to levitate train carriages inches about the track for frictionless travel, with trains reaching speeds of more than 300 miles an hour.
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The Baltimore-Washington SCMaglev project is a privately sponsored initiative led by the Baltimore-Washington Rapid Rail, which envisions a 15-minute ride between downtown Baltimore and downtown Washington, D.C., with an interim stop at Baltimore/Washington worldwide Thurgood Marshall Airport.
