MTA Investigating Possible Maglev Train For Baltimore-DC
BALTIMORE (WJZ)-- Getting from Baltimore to Washington, D.C. in 15 minutes could be a reality, but there are still obstacles to overcome.
It's a futuristic looking train that literally levitates at speeds of more than 300 miles per hour.
It's already in Japan and a $28 million federal grant has just been released to study what it would take to get the technology here.
The company that's spearheading this proposal says a commute between D.C. and Baltimore would take just 15 minutes and just another 45 minutes to New York--revolutionizing travel as we know it.
"Our infrastructure, highways, bridges, airports, rail, all of that is crumbling and we are really working on infrastructure that was done by our grandparents and so we have to do something different or it's going to be really rough for our children," said Wayne Rogers, CEO of Northeast Maglev.
The price tag for a project: between $10 to 12 billion.
Maglev Northeast anticipates that money would come from the private sector, the federal government and from the Japanese, where the technology has already been in use for decades.
Now this comes at a time when the government is making a big push to improve the nation's transportation system and many commuters are on board.
"That sounds great, my commute right now is 2 hours, so anything to shorten it would be great," Claire Onley said.
"Yeah I mean I'm from New York so I know what it is to be on the train for hours on end. I mean, if it's safe, then I am all for it," said Jason Nunez who lives in Baltimore.
The Maryland Transit Administration is undertaking the environmental impact study for the next 2 years.
"When you can go from Baltimore to Washington in 15 minutes it means that these two metropolitans are going to be one. It means that you can live in one and work in another and be home in a very reasonable time," said Suhair Al Khatib, deputy administrator & chief planning, program and engineering officer with Maryland Transit Administration.
If this project moves forward, MTA says this could have a significant economic impact on Baltimore and the region.
After the study, the first high speed train between D.C. and Baltimore could go into operation in 2026.
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