The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has temporarily paused its assessment of the proposed maglev train, giving the company more time to complete an environmental impact statement (EIS), which had been due in October. If built, the highspeed maglev train would provide service between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore and would go under some portion of Greenbelt. The $10 billion maglev project has caused much local debate. Many opponents of the train point out the environmental and housing damage that could be caused by tunneling under homes and digging up wooded areas for stations. Proponents emphasize the environmental and economic boons of mass transit. State Delegate Nicole Williams (D-Prince George’s) said the EIS report should address the concerns of residents in Prince George’s, Anne Arundel and Baltimore Counties. “The community feels as though they have not been given all of the correct information. There’s just a level of distrust,” Williams said. “We are very much looking forward to seeing the EIS. The timetable keeps getting pushed back, but it will be nice to get concrete information when it comes out.” According to the federal government’s online-permitting dashboard, the $10 billion project EIS has a new deadline of the end of February. She added that “The opponents of the project are happy about the delay but also understand that the battle against the project is not over.” The maglev project is supported by Governor Larry Hogan, and proposed by the company, Northeast Maglev. On December 17, the Baltimore Sun reported a statement by Northeast Maglev CEO Wayne Rogers saying: “It is not just one section, but furthering the engineering throughout the entire project. Once provided by [Baltimore Washington Rapid Rail, the company’s Baltimorebased subsidiary], additional engineering will be reviewed by the appropriate agencies to determine any potential impacts and any need for further review.” On the same day, the Washington Post reported that Rogers said the group is preparing additional engineering information “so that more detail is available for review by the regulatory agencies and the public.” To view the permitting dashboard go to permits.performance.gov/permitting-projects/baltimorewashington-superconductingmaglev-project.
