The Federal Railroad Administration has temporarily halted its analysis of the proposed high-speed “maglev” train system in the Washington region to give those behind the project more time to provide details about its design and engineering.
Wayne Rogers, chief executive of Northeast Maglev, the team of private investors behind the project to provide service between Washington and Baltimore in 15 minutes, confirmed the delay in the federal analysis, saying the pause is related to optimizing the design of the maglev, its entire alignment and the stations.
Rogers said the company is working to provide the “answers necessary” to move forward the environmental impact statement, or EIS. Without providing specifics, he said the group is preparing additional engineering information “so that more detail is available for review by the regulatory agencies and the public.”
The FRA embarked on the project review in 2016 and was expected to finalize the process in mid-2019. Upon completion of the environmental impact statement, the FRA could give clearance for tunneling, now set to begin as early as 2021, and operations in 2028. The agency could also rule against building the line — a wish of many residents along the route’s path who fear its impact on property and the corridor’s environment.
Click here to read the rest fo the article written by Luz Lazo over at the Washington Post