December 4, 2019
Four Baltimore-area chambers of commerce have endorsed the proposal to build a $10 billion high-speed maglev train route between Baltimore and Washington.
The Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Northern Anne Arundel County and Prince George's County chambers of commerce announced their support of the project Wednesday,
saying it would benefit the more than 1,500 businesses and other entities they represent in the region where the first 36-mile leg of the train would be built.
With stops in Baltimore, at BWI Marshall Airport and in Washington, the Japanese superconducting magnetic levitation technology would shorten the trip between the two cities to 15 minutes. Officials hope to later extend the line to New York, creating an hourlong trip between the nation's capital and its largest city.
The project's potential economic impact is comparable to that of the old B&O Railroad, "a transformative public transportation infrastructure initiative that benefited companies, communities and citizens of its day and beyond," said Wayne Rogers, CEO of the Northeast Maglev, the company seeking to build it.
"The SCMAGLEV project will begin in Maryland and make our great state stronger and more competitive," Rogers said in a statement. "We are thrilled to partner with these four chambers of commerce based on the abundance of local business opportunities the project will create and the new businesses it will attract to the region."
The first leg of the project is under review by federal, state and local agencies, and a draft environmental impact statement is expected to be completed in early 2020 after a short delay, said Alex Jackson, a spokesman for the Northeast Maglev.
Funding remains uncertain. But construction could begin as soon as 2021 if the project receives the required approvals, the company said.
