DOT Pulls Plug on $26 M Baltimore–Washington SCMAGLEV Grants

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy introduced Aug. 1 that the Federal Railroad Administration will cancel two grants totaling greater than $26 million for the Baltimore–Washington Superconducting Magnetic Levitation (SCMaglev) Undertaking.

Duffy stated the undertaking “lacked all the pieces wanted to be a hit from planning to execution” and that he “can’t in good conscience maintain taxpayers on the hook for it,” in response to a DOT assertion. 

The FRA decided that making ready a last environmental affect assertion is “now not possible” after practically a decade of labor. 

The company initially awarded the Maryland Division of Transportation about $27.8 million in cooperative-agreement grants in 2016 and collaborated with Baltimore Washington Fast Rail for preliminary engineering and overview, in response to paperwork within the Federal Register. The environmental overview course of was paused twice—most not too long ago from August 2021 till this week—amid repeated delays and design uncertainties.

The 40-mile maglev line, first envisioned within the Nineties and revived with federal backing in 2016, carried an estimated capital price ticket of about $20 billion and was hampered all through by group opposition, scheduling setbacks and important value overruns. 

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In its rescission discover, the FRA stated proposed undertaking alternate options would have triggered “unresolvable important results” to a number of federal properties and missions, together with these of the Nationwide Safety Company, the Division of Protection at Fort George G. Meade, the Nationwide Aeronautics and House Administration, the U.S. Secret Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Nationwide Park Service, in response to paperwork ENR reviewed within the Federal Register. 

Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld stated in an announcement that the state “understands … the numerous challenges posed by the undertaking” and “appreciates FRA’s partnership in advancing rail infrastructure and security enhancements within the State of Maryland.” 

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s spokesperson, Carter Elliott IV, added in an announcement that “though this undertaking had challenges that have been insurmountable, we look ahead to working with FRA to advance transportation options that enhance the protection, reliability, and efficacy of our transportation system.” 

Requests for remark to the District Division of Transportation and the D.C. Mayor’s Workplace weren’t returned by press time.

Whereas the cancellation ends federal involvement on this 40-mile demonstration, the FRA famous that the choice doesn’t preclude future deployment of maglev know-how elsewhere in america.