Officially, the long-held dream of a magnetic levitation (maglev) train that would transport people from Washington, DC, to New York City in an hour has been shelved. Citing a number of insurmountable obstacles that eventually killed the high-speed rail proposal, federal officials recently announced the cancellation of the ambitious project.
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced the cancellation, ending a proposal that had been in the works for more than ten years. From the start, the so-called Northeast Maglev project—which sought to employ superconducting magnetic levitation technology developed in Japan—faced numerous obstacles.
Federal officials and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) reports state that a number of important considerations led to the project’s termination. With substantial delays and cost overruns, the FRA concluded that the project was not a wise use of taxpayer funds, despite its anticipated capital cost of tens of billions of dollars.
“This project did not have the means to go the distance, and I can’t in good conscience keep taxpayers on the hook for it,” said Sean P. Duffy, the secretary of transportation for the United States. Due to its possible negative environmental effects on wildlife habitats and protected regions, the proposed route also encountered strong resistance. Significant land use issues also plagued the proposal, including effects on vital infrastructure and federal property, some of which had national security implications. Significant opposition to the project was also raised by locals and towns, especially along the Baltimore-Washington, D.C., portion of the route. The project’s unclear future was exacerbated by worries about property acquisition and the disturbance of nearby communities. According to the FRA’s report, the project was badly designed from the start and required lengthy tunnels, which created unsolvable logistical and financial issues.
Northeast Maglev, the project’s developer, referred to the cancellation as a generation’s lost chance. The maglev train’s supporters contended that it would have improved the local economy, produced over 160,000 employment, and provided a long-term solution to traffic on the congested Northeast Corridor.
