The Federal Railroad Administration narrowed its list of possible routes down to two for a high-speed magnetic levitating train that would travel between Baltimore and Washington in just 15 minutes.
Both of the proposed routes for the 300-mph train would run next to the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. The Northeast Maglev, the company pushing for the train, and Baltimore Washington Rapid Rail, the company that would develop it, have been working with the Federal Railroad Transportation and Maryland Department of Transportation since 2016 on planning the project and drawing up an environmental impact statement.
One of the routes, called “Alignment J” includes an extended tunnel under Washington until after the Capital Beltway. It then follows the Baltimore-Washington Parkway above ground on the east side through the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Patuxent Research Refuge and Fort Meade. It then returns to tunnel near the BWI/Marshall Airport station continues underground into Baltimore.
The other route, “Alignment J1,” includes an extended tunnel under Washington until after the Capital Beltway before transitioning to an elevated guideway on the west side of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. It would go through the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center and then east into a tunnel to the to BWI/Marshall Airport station and continuing underground to Baltimore. This alignment avoids the Patuxent Research Refuge and would be in tunnel under Fort Meade.