The Secretary of Transport, Sean Duffy, announced on August 1 that the Federal Rail Administration will cancel two subsidies for more than $ 26 million for the Baltimore – Washington (SCMAGlev) superconducting magnetic levitation project.
Duffy said that the project “did not have everything needed to be a success from planning to execution” and that “it cannot be in good awareness to keep taxpayers in the hook,” according to a dowry statement.
FRA determined that the preparation for a final environmental impact statement is “no longer feasible” after almost a decade of work.
The Agency initially granted Maryland’s department of Maryland about $ 27.8 million in agreement grants in 2016, and collaborated with Baltimore Washington Rail Rail for Engineering and Preliminary Review, according to Federal Registry documents. The environmental review process was stopped twice, more recently from August 2021 to this week, it occupied repeated delays and the design of uncertainties.
The 40 mile Maglev line, first scheduled for the 1990’s and revived with federal support in 2016, brought an estimated capital price of about $ 20 billion, and was affected by the community opposition, programming significant cost of costs.
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In its warning warning, the FRA said that the alternatives of the proposed project would have caused “ significant significant effects ” to various federal properties and missions, including those of the National Security Agency, the Defense Department of the Fort George G. Meade, the National Aircraft and the Space Administration, the Secret Service of the United States, the Fish and Wild Life Service and the Federal Park Service, according to the Federal Park Service.
Maryland’s Secretary of Transportation, Paul J. Wiedefeld, said in a statement that the state “understands … The significant challenges of the project” and “appreciates Fra’s collaboration to advance the railway infrastructure and the security improvements in the state of Maryland.”
The spokesman for Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Carter Elliott IV, added in a statement that “despite the fact that this project had challenges that were insurmountable, we hope to work with FRA to advance transport solutions that improve the safety, reliability and effectiveness of our transport system.”
Requests for comment to the District Department of Transport and the DC Mayor were not returned in press time.
Although the cancellation ends the federal participation in this 40 -mile demonstration, the FRA said that the decision does not prevent the future deployment of Maglev technology elsewhere in the United States.
