Maryland wins $27.8 million federal grant to study high-speed train to D.C.

BALTIMORE, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- The federal government is issuing a $27.8 million grant to Maryland to study a high-speed maglev train line that could bolt between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., in 15 minutes.

The Federal Railroad Administration grant provides seed money that can be used to cover engineering and planning costs. The funding for such a grant was authorized in 2005, when Congress set aside $90 million for maglev projects.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said that the high-speed route would be "transformative" and that the grant will help his administration better understand the next steps to take in the project.

Maglev technology allows trains to glide over a cushion of air at speeds faster than 300 mph with some being tested at speeds of almost 400 mph. During a recent trip to Asia, Hogan boarded a maglev train in Tokyo that traversed 27 miles at 314 mph.

Maglev trains generated interest in the state in the 1990s, but fell by the wayside as discussion of prohibitive costs and disruption to neighborhoods stymied the idea.

Hogan has declared his eagerness to attract private investment in the project should it be approved. Figures for a Washington-to Baltimore maglev line are set between $10 billion and $12 billion.

Private organization The Northeast Maglev has proposed a longer route that would connect Baltimore to Washington, D.C. and New York City. It estimates the trip would take less than an hour, including stops in Wilmington and Philadelphia.