Maglev in the NEC?

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This guy pretty much nails it:

http://politicalmaryland.com/2015/06/08/hogans-incredible-maglev-gaffe/

It’s “an incredible experience” Hogan said of his 300-mile-an-hour ride on a test track in Japan during an economic development trip to Asia.

What’s really “incredible” is Hogan’s willingness to become a promoter of a still-emerging technology with eye-popping costs just as he nears a decision on building two crucial, but far cheaper, conventional mass-transit routes in Baltimore and the Washington suburbs that he previously called “too expensive.”

Supporters of maglev (magnetic levitation) say a Washington-to-Baltimore route would cost a mere $10 billion. Others says the price tag would be many times higher just for the first 40 miles of a route eventually stretching to New York.

Maglev, which glides on a cushion of air and is powered by super-conducting magnets, requires a straight track. It cannot use existing rail rights of way. Thus, the Baltimore-Washington route, through an intensely developed part of Maryland, will have to done by way of a 40-mile-long tunnel.

Now we’re talking REALLY big bucks.
 
This guy pretty much nails it:

http://politicalmaryland.com/2015/06/08/hogans-incredible-maglev-gaffe/

It’s “an incredible experience” Hogan said of his 300-mile-an-hour ride on a test track in Japan during an economic development trip to Asia.

What’s really “incredible” is Hogan’s willingness to become a promoter of a still-emerging technology with eye-popping costs just as he nears a decision on building two crucial, but far cheaper, conventional mass-transit routes in Baltimore and the Washington suburbs that he previously called “too expensive.”

Supporters of maglev (magnetic levitation) say a Washington-to-Baltimore route would cost a mere $10 billion. Others says the price tag would be many times higher just for the first 40 miles of a route eventually stretching to New York.

Maglev, which glides on a cushion of air and is powered by super-conducting magnets, requires a straight track. It cannot use existing rail rights of way. Thus, the Baltimore-Washington route, through an intensely developed part of Maryland, will have to done by way of a 40-mile-long tunnel.

Now we’re talking REALLY big bucks.
They have $10 billion for this latest shiny toy, and they don't have money to contribute towards fixing up the B&P Tunnel? Not to mention that the MARC fare increase goes into effect today. (and a couple of weeks ago, they *lowered* some highway tolls. It's pretty obvious what the transportation priorities are for this governor.
 
This guy pretty much nails it:

http://politicalmaryland.com/2015/06/08/hogans-incredible-maglev-gaffe/

It’s “an incredible experience” Hogan said of his 300-mile-an-hour ride on a test track in Japan during an economic development trip to Asia.

What’s really “incredible” is Hogan’s willingness to become a promoter of a still-emerging technology with eye-popping costs just as he nears a decision on building two crucial, but far cheaper, conventional mass-transit routes in Baltimore and the Washington suburbs that he previously called “too expensive.”

Supporters of maglev (magnetic levitation) say a Washington-to-Baltimore route would cost a mere $10 billion. Others says the price tag would be many times higher just for the first 40 miles of a route eventually stretching to New York.

Maglev, which glides on a cushion of air and is powered by super-conducting magnets, requires a straight track. It cannot use existing rail rights of way. Thus, the Baltimore-Washington route, through an intensely developed part of Maryland, will have to done by way of a 40-mile-long tunnel.

Now we’re talking REALLY big bucks.
They have $10 billion for this latest shiny toy, and they don't have money to contribute towards fixing up the B&P Tunnel? Not to mention that the MARC fare increase goes into effect today. (and a couple of weeks ago, they *lowered* some highway tolls. It's pretty obvious what the transportation priorities are for this governor.
JR Central and the Japanese export bank are talking about financing the maglev, so it's politically "free money", meaning you don't have to pay the bill until the next administration gets hit with the tab.
 
Well, and there's always the possibility (and not a small one if this were to start happening, I'd add...the overall chances of the project actually moving seem quite remote, but the chances of it moving a bit and then stalling seem to fill up much of the remainder) that the Maglev gets built from DC to Baltimore, bankrupts out its loans, and is sufficiently marginal in operation that expansion efforts drop dead.

To be fair, I've got to wonder...JR Central seems to be splitting their focus between Texas Central (the Houston-Dallas bullet train) and this. Considering that this is basically a moonshot while the Texas Central situation is more clearly viable (the TC folks noted that there were other markets they could make work and that Houston-Dallas was simply one of the easiest)...if this stalls out I don't think JR Central is going to see too much of a problem with walking on this one.
 
Ugh. I'd much rather this funding had been repurposed and put toward the BWI Marshall Airport rail station project, or some such project in the area rather than continuing to study this gadgetbahn.

Oh well.
 
Are we sure that maglev (and unicorns, for that matter) is completely outside FRA jurisdiction?
Also, the fist big maglev crash with mass casualties will ensure that the technology is regulated by either the FRA or some equivalent created for the purpose of regulating maglevs.

Me, I'm not sure I want to ride at ground level at 300+ mph.
 
Are we sure that maglev (and unicorns, for that matter) is completely outside FRA jurisdiction?
Also, the fist big maglev crash with mass casualties will ensure that the technology is regulated by either the FRA or some equivalent created for the purpose of regulating maglevs.

Me, I'm not sure I want to ride at ground level at 300+ mph.
Why not? You fly at 500 mph, and when they go into the ground they don't normally have survivors.

At least at maglev altitude they hit the ground skidding like a sled, not straight in like a pile driver. Much safer.
 
According to this article, sounds like studies are moving forward in part thanks to $2 million from Japan.

BALTIMORE The head of a private venture to build a high-speed magnetic-levitation train between Washington and Baltimore believes the project could break ground in as little as three to four years.
If it really started construction in three years that'd be pretty impressive! (Even then, how long until we could take a ride on one?)
 
I think I posted the same thing I am about to say now years ago in this thread.

Maglev doesn't feel like the future. Since my first ride a few years ago I have returned to Shanghai and of course took another ride aboard the train. I still don't think its the future. In fact I would say the train in Shanghai isn't even holding up as well as I would imagine it should. Now granted the hype of the world expo is over and I'm sure the funding has been cut, but the last time I was the trains were filthy. It's also been years since its opening, and yet it remains the only usable example in the world.

IMG_20151003_171125.jpg

Sorry I don't see this working in Japan or here.
 
I'm not sure the Shanghai Maglev's cleanliness (or lack thereof) is a very convincing indictment of the technology. You're certainly going to kill a lot of bugs at the speed.
 
Doesn't Maglev, as it exists now, have huge power draws?
Yes and thats why the train runs at a reduced speed almost all of the time.

I'm not sure the Shanghai Maglev's cleanliness (or lack thereof) is a very convincing indictment of the technology. You're certainly going to kill a lot of bugs at the speed.

Yes I understand they will kill a lot of bugs running at high speeds. Thats not the sole indictment of the technology see Metra's post above. The power draw means the train only operates at peak speeds for a few hours each day. You have to plan your day around the schedule if you want to ride the train while it is operating as the fastest in the world. If this is the future it should be treated less like a novelty built to show off to the world.
 
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