Baltimore–Washington Superconducting Maglev Project
| Company type | Public-private partnership |
|---|---|
| Industry | Transportation |
| Founded | 1990s |
| Headquarters | Baltimore, Maryland , United States |
Area served | Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C. |
| Products | High-speed maglev train service |
| Owner | Baltimore Washington Rapid Rail (BWRR), Northeast Maglev, JR Central (support) |
| Parent | Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT), Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) |
The Baltimore–Washington Superconducting Maglev Project (SCMAGLEV) was an initiative aimed at establishing a maglev train connection between the downtown areas of Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C.. This project represented the first phase of the broader Washington-New York Northeast Maglev corridor and should not be confused with the Baltimore–Washington hyperloop concept proposed by the Boring Company.
Background
The idea of implementing a high-speed maglev transit system linking Washington DC and Baltimore originated in the 1990s. Under Section 1218 of the "Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century," a National Magnetic Levitation Transportation Technology Deployment Program was established and overseen by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). Its goal was to demonstrate commercial maglev operations over approximately corridor length, with federal contributions of $1 billion matched by other funding sources at a ratio of two-to-one. In 1999, FRA selected seven proposals for further evaluation, allocating $55 million in total; by 2001, Baltimore–Washington and Pittsburgh were designated as semi-finalists.
Following a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS), the FRA issued a Record of Decision (ROD) in 2001 endorsing maglev technology deployment in Maryland and Pennsylvania and recommending detailed project-level analysis. Collaborating with the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) under MDOT, FRA published a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) in 2003 outlining a maglev route connecting Baltimore’s downtown, BWI Marshall Airport, and Washington Union Station. This DEIS evaluated transportation demand forecasts, regional economic development prospects, congestion mitigation, environmental concerns, and potential mitigation measures.
Although a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) was drafted in 2007, it was never formally completed. Federal funding persisted through fiscal year 2004; however, following legislative action in Maryland during 2004, federal support for the Baltimore–Washington segment was withdrawn for FY 2005. Subsequently, federal funds were redirected toward Pittsburgh’s Keystone Corridor and the California–Nevada Interstate Maglev linking Las Vegas to Anaheim before federal backing ceased after 2005.
In Maryland’s FY 2009-2014 Consolidated Transportation Program, a Maglev System Study was included to assess feasibility and prepare environmental documentation for operating maglev trains between Baltimore, Washington, and BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport. The MTA emphasized unique federal funding as part of a national maglev demonstration initiative while underscoring the corridor’s potential for rapid transit improvements.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 revitalized federal investment in high-speed rail projects, particularly supporting routes such as Las Vegas to Anaheim. The private entity Northeast Maglev reinitiated efforts on the Baltimore–Washington project in 2010.
In November 2013, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe offered to fully fund a high-speed maglev connection between Baltimore and Washington D.C. during discussions with President Obama.
Renewed enthusiasm emerged in 2015 when Maryland Governor Larry Hogan toured Japan to witness an advanced maglev prototype capable of reaching speeds up to 311 mph (500 km/h). Following this visit, $28 million in U.S. federal funds were allocated to study the project further.
History
Back in 2016, the projected expense for the maglev link between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore—with three stops, including Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport—was estimated between $10 billion and $12 billion. Northeast Maglev had secured $5 billion in financing from Japan at that time. However, the exact route had yet to be finalized. In September of that year, the Maryland Transit Administration initiated an environmental impact assessment, which was anticipated to finish by mid-2019 but was subsequently halted due to a lack of detailed design information.
The review of the Environmental Impact Study (EIS) recommenced in May 2020. The draft version of the EIS was released in January 2021, with the public comment period extended until May 24, 2021. The final EIS and Record of Decision were scheduled for completion by January 28, 2022.
The draft EIS from 2021 presented two favored alignments that significantly diverge from Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. Instead of terminating at Pennsylvania Station, the Baltimore endpoint is set at Camden Yards Station, with the BWI Marshall stop positioned within the airport grounds. The proposed alignment traces the Baltimore–Washington Parkway through suburban and rural areas of Maryland and concludes at Mount Vernon Square in Washington, D.C., offering a location nearer to downtown than existing Amtrak stations.
Baltimore Washington Rapid Rail (BWRR), a sister firm to Northeast Maglev based in Baltimore, led the project. Support for SCMAGLEV came from JR Central headquartered in Nagoya, Japan. Oversight responsibilities were shared by the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), which managed federal funding and compliance with NEPA requirements.
Although there was backing from regional stakeholders, opposition emerged from local communities around Mount Vernon Square due to concerns about potential disruptions, the public-private partnership model, use of federal land, and possible rivalry with Amtrak over funding and passenger traffic.
On August 25, 2021, the FRA placed the project on hold to conduct a comprehensive review. By August 2025, the FRA concluded that the project was "no longer feasible." Following this determination, MDOT announced intentions to submit final documentation to formally end and close out the cooperative agreement.