You mean boon, not boondoggle, right? A mag-lev train would transform Baltimore overnight by making it a 20m train ride away from Washington, no further than some of the inner suburbs of D.C. When did the Maryland leg., institute this ban? Who are the NIMBYs? I can't imagine that anyone in Baltimore would stop this.

A Maglev would certainly change the dynamic of the region, but it's hard to predict how. I can't imagine how many might opt to choose living for less in Baltimore, and arriving in Union Station faster than it would take on the Metro from the Washington 'burbs.

That being said, I also wonder if we could get more bang for our buck by investing all that money into expanded and improved MARC service, and heavy rail for Baltimore.

Not to nitpick--but do you mean that Maglev would be a boon, instead of a boondoggle?

As far as tunnel replacement, we need to replace both the Baltimore and Potomac tunnel you mention above, as well as the CSX Howard St. tunnel. I'd love to see the Central Light Rail dropped into the Howard tunnel after it is replaced. Unfortunately I doubt any of that will ever happen--it costs just too darn much.

Thanks for the correction guys. Yeah, I meant boon, not boondoggle.

Augie, I'm unclear on who the NIMBYs are myself. I'll look into it and get back to you.

Jed, I agree -- our whole mass transit system needs a major overhaul. It seems that expanded and improved MARC service would be a simpler option, but can you think of the delays while they make MARC improvements? And I believe -- I could be wrong -- MARC will always be limited by the fact that they share tracks with Amtrak.

Upgraded MARC service is probably preferable in the short term. BUT -- I could see Maglev effectively connecting South Baltimore (say, at Westport, where there's plenty of land to build a station and is easily connected to Federal Hill and the Inner Harbor), to D.C., pushing development in that section, and using the MARC service for North Baltimore.

The application is for engineering to replace the Baltimore & Potomac (B&P) Tunnel, not the Howard Street Tunnel. The former is owned by Amtrak; the latter is owned by CSX.

Maglev would revolutionize the entire concept. It is fully grade separated but has a significantly smaller profile (impact) as compared to elevating conventional dual rail.

High speed dual rail is generally proposed with it being at grade and having fencing the entire length.

It also has power lines suspended overhead 20'ish feet high. Maglev has no overhead wiring and is a simple looking flat surface.

The real difference is in maintenance. Maglev basically only has one moving part to wear out...the doors. If ice covers the guideway, the trains operation is not impacted at all while a dual rail must ahve the rails de-iced.

Japan is in the process of replacing their high speed dual rail with maglev, and this with private funding.

My guess is that the plans to not allow maglev came from lobbyists or those ignorant of facts.

I keep a discussion group for the Houston area on grade separated transit at this link:

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/MET_Houston/

There, you can read news reports and one of the more current one's is on China's plans to build urban maglev lines. These only travel at 120km/hr but again, are extremely relaible and relatively maintenance free.

I am all for Mag Lev, but I wonder 1) how much would the trip between Baltimore/DC COST? and 2) would it essentially HAVE to be an express? Seems like the speeds wouldn't really happen if you were making every stop. What happens to the areas along the way? That said, BRING IT ON.

I have a monorail for sale. Cheap.

All the maglev projects seem to have a lot of ideas but not much might... and their failings discredit the full potential of such a mode.

Personally, I'd love to see maglev between Baltimore and Washington... but when I tried to lay it out myself: I found two critical issues.

1 - Right-of-way is virtually nonexistent. We've built up within it. To some degree it might fit down some of the high-tension power line corridors, but once you enter into Baltimore or DC: your right-of-way disappears and requires either extensive property takes or extensive tunneling.

2 - Baltimore & Washington are too close together. You're better off with improving regional/commuter rail to make them higher speed than you are investing in maglev or *high*-speed rail. When I laid out a maglev alignment, I ultimately found myself unable to justify a Baltimore station... Philly and DC link directly together without a stop in between, otherwise the maglev doesn't get up to speed before it's already at its next stop.

http://philatransport.blogspot.com/2009/07/national-passenger-rail-1st-draft.html

I am so much in favor of Maglev between Baltimore and DC that I'm finding it hard to find the right words to express it. It would be GREAT for Baltimore. For DC? I have no idea what the draw would be. But who cares!

Does anyone know WHY the Maryland State Legislature banned research into the Maglev? (Both the reason stated publicly and the real deal, sleazy political reason.) I can't think of anything logical, aside from the fact that they're the Maryland State Legislature and therefore institutionally incapable of getting anything right.

Maglev would have to compliment existing MARC service as all trains woudl have to be express. The current plan calls for stations Camden Yards, BWI, possibly I-495 (New Carrollton?) and Union Station.
With the Northest Corridor being Amtrak's most popular, Maglev needs to be built here if anywhere as then it can be expanded up the East Coast to Boston and eventually replace Amtrak. Then give MARC and other commuter services complete access to Amtrak tracks. That would greatly improve passener rail service.

Personally, I'd really love to see a high speed maglev between Washington and Baltimore.

The International Maglev Board has published an series of short and informative articles of the advantages of magnetically levitated train and questions USA’s inertia and conservatism in thinking about steel-on-steel medium speed rail:

http://tinyurl.com/ll37r4

As I understand it, the advantage of mag-lev is that the stations are off the main track, meaning that a train can pick up or let off passengers without impeding the next train. The timing is a bit trickier, but it's completely computer operated, so there's no risk of human error.

Banning the mere study of the MagLev is the equivalent of clapping your hands over your ears and going, "I'm not listening... na na na naaaa."

I would hope for a little greater level of discourse from our public officials, but optimistic.

I know Linthicum people were whining about this one due to the possible BWI stop that was discussed...

@Bossi: if you have suburban rail between Baltimore and Washington, you already have your existing right-of-way. And keep in mind that Maglev is a LOT more flexible in terms of rights-of-way than any other fixed track transport. Its elevated structure with the small curve radii can be easily threaded into and out of downtowns of cities without extensive land take.

Mag-lev as a commuter train option? Pure fantasy, folks. Cost basis too expensive for it to work for the monthly ticket ridership crowd without a incredible subsidy from the Feds and Staties. (BTW, did you catch that the Guv wants to slash $454 million from the budget? MD ain't gonna be funding MagLev for MARC riders anytime this half of the century, folks. I'd look for those flying Jetsons cars, Spacey's Sprockets and Cogswell's Cogs before MagLev) As a multicity transportation option, I'd say it has more of a shot.

@ Augie: No risk of human error does not mean no risk of error. cf. catostrophic system failure, WMATA, Metrorail, Red Line, Ft. Totten.

The timing is a bit trickier, but it's completely computer operated, so there's no risk of human error.

Not to be a Negative Nellie, here, but the DC Metro was completely computer operated, and reliance upon that caused that terrible tragedy this summer.

That said, I'd still take my life into my hands for a maglev from Balt to DC. I'd also be a huge advocate of MARC running more trains to DC on the weekends.

I was one of the NIMBYs. We were under the mistaken impression that the maglev track would be within 100 feet of houses in my neighborhood. It turns out it would've been over 100 yards from my house. So fear is what drove my NIMBYism. On other hand there were a few neighborhoods that would have been bisected by maglev track.

The greatest obstacle to building a maglev is fear engendered by misinformation and rumor. It will take a really good PR campaign to fire up public interest and support for it again.

I agree with the other posters who say that it cannot be a part of MARC's local service - that wouldn't be worthwhile or make sense. It must be a regional express to get the most bang-for-the-buck. The initial segment would be Baltimore to Washington but it only really makes sense if it is eventually extended to Philadelphia and beyond.

In fact Baltimore/Washington and New York/Phildelphia segments should be built first, then connected later, eventually adding Boston too.

Don't blame NIMBY. The boondoggle was the planners spending taxpayer money on a project that was (and is) not practical. The legislature prohibiting funding of maglev was appropriate.

Several years ago I attended a presentation on the proposed DC/Baltimore maglev. If memory serves the proposal was a DC terminal at Union Station with possibly one stop at BWI. The Baltimore terminal had not been decided. The route would basically parallel the MARC Camden line. Riders would be people going directly from one city center to the other.

The cost was in billions.

Cost per ride had not been determined. Potential ridership demand had not been determined.

I asked one of the planners how much electricity the trains would use and after trying to avoid the question he said that it would be megawatts. Anyone care to guess where this power will come from? BGE is doing all sorts of things to reduce electric demand and not too long ago there were occasionally brownouts in Baltimore during the summer.

Like so many things, a maglev sounds good but when reality sets in it loses its luster.

John is totally correct. The cost would have been prohibitive. And ticket prices would have be to quite high to cover operating cost.

Also, while benefiting Baltimore residents, the impact on those living between Baltimore and DC in terms of losing their houses, would have been tremendous.

BTW Don, to use the existing DC-Baltimore right of way for Maglev would mean eliminating the regular MARC train stops between DC and Baltimore

As is far too often the case, certain Marylanders cannot seem to seem to grasp the bigger picture. It's sad, but a lot of times NIMBYists can't even contemplate a world beyond their back yards.

We're talking about Federal funding for a Maglev line that will connect DC and Baltimore. Not state funding, Federal funding. The line would serve as a prototype for possible Maglev projects elsewhere in the country, most notably the Northeast corridor. Federal funding is found money for the State of Maryland and the proximity of Baltimore to DC makes it a perfect test area for this type of project, as it gives federal officials a firsthand look at this new form of rail transportation.

(Also this silly argument from John about electricity usage is classic NIMBY. Do you know how much energy is used by all the cars - many containing only a driver - being driven back and forth on I-95, the BW Parkway and 29 every day? A lot more than it takes to run a Maglev and with greenhouse gas emissions to boot. Nice try though.)

Such a project could be a gamechanger for both the City of Baltimore and rail transit in the nation as a whole. And anyone giving a serious look at both Baltimore and the transportation infrastructure in the US knows a gamechanger is desperately needed. My questions to the two NIMBYists above: Have you been to Europe recently? Have you been to Asia recently?

If you have, then you know that the US is beginning to look like a 2nd World country in term of is transportation system. It's time to change that, and if Maryland and particularly Baltimore can benefit from it, then full steam ahead.

IIRC, Maglev was already studied and a DEIS completed, no?

I support ROW protection for Maglev, but in the short term, it's not worth building now. In the long term, it may very well.

But, what is clear to those looking at the benefits and costs: such a line is certainly NOT worth only being built between Baltimore and DC. The distance is not significant enough and the alignment would not allow it to acheive its optimal cruising speeds. Unfortunately, not much engineering was considered north of the Camden Yards area terminus. We must carefully engineer our regional rail projects to accomdate extension through and north of town towards Philly. Amazingly, the MTA actually did this in Red Line planning(though they completely neglected the proposed Yellow Line...) But I haven't heard much about alignments involving the Penn Station area. I'm sure the BDC or someone will go out of their way to leverage some development in upper Midtown to the exclusion allowing Maglev through. But I digress.

Nate Payer
TRAC

@Don-

Sorry if someone else has addressed it, but I only briefly skimmed through the comments since my last one...

The right-of-way demands of maglev are vastly different from even high speed rail. To recognise the much-much-higher speed capabilities: horizontal curvature must be virtually straight and vertical curvature must be essentially flat. Current rail lines curve all over the place and could *not* serve maglev in its ideal form... indeed, any attempt to do just that will likely drive up cost whilst vastly reducing benefits.

@others...

I noticed some comments that appear to interpret maglev as sharing trackage with conventional rail. There won't be other trains using maglev to fill in intermediate stops... maglev is a completely different mode from rail. While it functions the same: a conventional train cannot operate on maglev just as maglev cannot operate on conventional rail.

A good place for the Baltimore maglev station would be the eastern terminus of the proposed Red Line. There's more land and right-of-ways out there and it would create greater justification for building the Red Line.

From there the line could run to the BWI Light Rail station then continue to Greenbelt. It could end there since there is already Metro and MARC service to Union Staton from there and the Purple Line will also be terminating at Greenbelt. That would also help justify the Purple Lines construction.

This would be a lot less costly and complex than trying to run the maglev tracks all the way into Penn Station and Union Station.

Patapso Jones,

I think we could fairly argue the USA is looking like a third world country with transportation infrastructure, as the former Soviet bloc countries have fairly comprehensive rail systems.

For that matter, much of the developing world does as well.

Go Baltimore, and go Maryland! Maglev all the way, baby!

Anyone against Maglev between Baltimore asnd Washington should be taken out and shot as a traitor.

From healthcare reform, to the red line, to this maglev train, Americans ca be some of thee MOST backwards, anti-progressive people alive. I've been SOOO looking forward to the ground breaking on this project and I've often wondered why there was no news on it, but now I know... IDIOTS! This project could bring tremendous attention and revenue to our region, as well as serving as a pilot for a new transit mode that could revolutionize rail travel in the U.S. and eventually North America! Or, maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm the only one who sees it this way. Maybe I'm the only one who thinks Amtrak sucks, is too slow, and is unjustly expensive! Plus, Amtrak has very few connections in many states and NONE in South Dakota! And it's essentially a monopoly! Could I be the only one who thinks it's crazy that car, bus, and plane are the only ways to get into Canada and Mexico (flying being the quickest), when much of Europe is connected by high speed rails? We need quick, safe, progressive, and green alternatives in this country. Why not start in our own back yard?

Magnetically levitated (maglev) train is very expensive for any government.