Rail
USDOT Pulls Plug on $26M in Grants for Baltimore-Washington Maglev Project
Transportation secretary cites decade of delays, cost overruns and unresolvable federal impacts in cancelling funding
The Superconducting Maglev (SCMaglev), first developed in 1962, is a high-speed ground transportation system that uses magnetic forces for acceleration, deceleration, guidance and levitation, enabling speeds over 300 mph and faster travel times than traditional trains.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Aug. 1 that the Federal Railroad Administration will cancel two grants totaling more than $26 million for the Baltimore–Washington Superconducting Magnetic Levitation (SCMaglev) Project.
Duffy said the project “lacked everything needed to be a success from planning to execution” and that he “can’t in good conscience keep taxpayers on the hook for it,” according to a DOT statement.
The FRA determined that preparing a final environmental impact statement is "no longer feasible" after nearly a decade of work.
The agency initially awarded the Maryland Department of Transportation about $27.8 million in cooperative-agreement grants in 2016 and collaborated with Baltimore Washington Rapid Rail for preliminary engineering and review, according to documents in the Federal Register. The environmental review process was paused twice—most recently from August 2021 until this week—amid repeated delays and design uncertainties.
The 40-mile maglev line, first envisioned in the 1990s and revived with federal backing in 2016, carried an estimated capital price tag of about $20 billion and was hampered throughout by community opposition, scheduling setbacks and significant cost overruns.
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In its rescission notice, the FRA said proposed project alternatives would have caused “unresolvable significant effects” to multiple federal properties and missions, including those of the National Security Agency, the Dept. of Defense at Fort George G. Meade, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the U.S. Secret Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service, according to documents ENR reviewed in the Federal Register.
Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld said in a statement that the state “understands … the significant challenges posed by the project” and “appreciates FRA’s partnership in advancing rail infrastructure and safety improvements in the State of Maryland.”
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s spokesperson, Carter Elliott IV, added in a statement that “although this project had challenges that were insurmountable, we look forward to working with FRA to advance transportation solutions that improve the safety, reliability, and efficacy of our transportation system.”
Requests for comment to the District Dept. of Transportation and the D.C. Mayor’s Office were not returned by press time.
While the cancellation ends federal involvement in this 40-mile demonstration, the FRA noted that the decision does not preclude future deployment of maglev technology elsewhere in the United States.
Bryan Gottlieb is the online editor at Engineering News-Record (ENR).
Gottlieb is a five-time Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism award winner with more than a decade of experience covering business, construction and community issues, including finance, law and real estate. He has reported for Adweek and the San Diego Daily Transcript and led a community newsroom in Santa Monica, Calif. He served as editor-in-chief of the Detroit Metro Times and as managing editor at Roofing Contractor, where he helped shape national industry coverage. At Engineering News-Record, Gottlieb covers breaking news, large-scale infrastructure and megaprojects, regulatory developments and business trends across the U.S. and global construction sectors.
email: gottliebb@enr.com | office: (248) 786-1591
