This is the fourth and final of a series of articles providing information about a proposal to build a high-speed railway through Greenbelt that would tunnel under existing homes and Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt East and possibly emerge from its tunnel in the city’s forest preserve. The first article described the proposed alternate routes to be considered in a now underway federally funded Environmental Impact Study (EIS), while the second provided history of the development of the SCMaglev (super-conducting magnetic levitation) rail system proposed by private developers to possibly eventually run from Charlotte to Boston. The third article discussed property acquisition, issues raised and alternative high-speed transportation proposals. This article will review opposition and support for building the maglev line and press coverage of the issue.
The Maryland effort to build the SCMaglev, a super-conducting magnetic levitation railroad, began in 2014, but the only early press coverage found was brief articles based upon press releases in business journals and blogs. These reports were all positive. If one had known to look in the right places, they would have learned: that Baltimore Washington Rapid Rail (BWRR) and the Northeast Maglev (TNEM) had been formed; that BWRR applied for and obtained an abandoned railroad franchise that includes the power of eminent domain except in Baltimore City and the District of Columbia; that Congress with Obama administration support had made available funding for an EIS and preliminary engineering for a maglev; that Maryland Governor Larry Hogan had gone to Japan, ridden a maglev train, liked it and sought out the federal funds; that an EIS was being conducted by the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA); and that two of six and then of three proposed routes went under homes in Greenbelt and Eleanor Roosevelt High School. But this information could not be found in the major news media sources.
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