By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. government said on Friday it cancelled an environmental review of a long-delayed proposed high-speed rail project between Washington and Baltimore, and scrapped $26 million in grants, effectively ending the project.
The U.S. Transportation Department said it was rescinding funds for the proposed $20-billion Baltimore-Washington Superconducting Magnetic Levitation, or MAGLEV project, after “nearly a decade of poor planning, significant community opposition, tremendous cost overruns, and nothing to show for it.”
The proposal aimed to run trains powered by magnetic forces at speeds up to 311 mph (500 kph), either underground in deep tunnels or elevated on viaducts. The project sponsor did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Federal Railroad Administration said it will not prepare a final environmental analysis, saying it is no longer feasible. An environmental review, started in 2016, has been on pause since 2021.
The FRA said the project faces “unresolvable significant effects to federal agencies, federal property, and critical agency infrastructure and operations during project construction and operation,” including the Defense Department, NASA, and other national security and government agencies.
China has been using MAGLEV technology for more than two decades on a limited scale. Shanghai has a short MAGLEV line running from one of its airports.
Last month, the U.S. Transportation Department canceled $4 billion in federal grants for California’s ambitious but much-delayed high-speed rail project, prompting the state to sue.
The legal dispute added another hurdle to the 16-year effort to link Los Angeles and San Francisco by a three-hour train ride, a project that would deliver the fastest passenger rail service in the United States.
(Reporting by David ShepardsonEditing by Rod Nickel)
