06-05-2025
The high cost of high speed: Why SCMaglev is not the answer
A 2019 images of a maglev train similar to one that might connect Baltimore and Washington, D.C., (Photo courtesy Baltimore-Washington Rapid Rail)
We all want faster, more efficient transportation. But the desire for speed shouldn't come at the expense of equity, accountability, or common sense.
The proposed Superconducting Maglev (SCMaglev) train between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore is being pitched as a revolutionary leap forward—a 15-minute ride connecting two cities. But when you look closely, it becomes clear that this project is a costly distraction from the real transportation needs of Marylanders.
I've followed the SCMaglev project for nearly a decade, through meetings, hearings, and glossy presentations. One moment sticks with me to this day: During a presentation to the Maryland General Assembly, a representative claimed the Maglev would reduce regional traffic by 30%. When I asked for the methodology or data behind that estimate, no one could provide an answer.
That kind of vague, unverified projection isn't just irresponsible — it's dangerous when we're discussing a multibillion-dollar project with lasting impacts on our communities, environment and transportation landscape.
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Let's talk dollars. A one-way Maglev ticket from D.C. to Baltimore is projected to cost between $60 and $80. That's not a commuter fare — it's a luxury option targeted at business elites and tourists. The average Marylander isn't budgeting $120 a day for transit.
We already have underfunded, overburdened systems like MARC, Metro and local buses that residents rely on every day. Why not invest in expanding those services — adding more stops, increasing frequency, reducing costs, and improving reliability?
As a resident of Laurel, I'm particularly alarmed by the impact the route would have on the Patuxent Research Refuge. My twin boys and I spend time there often, enjoying trails and spotting wildlife. It's one of the last intact green spaces in our region — and SCMaglev would cut right through it.
That's not innovation. That's ecological devastation in the name of elite convenience. Our green spaces are not expendable.
Even if you set aside the environmental costs, the communities most affected by the Maglev — like those in Prince George's County — see none of the benefits. There are no planned stops here, yet our neighborhoods would bear the brunt of construction, land disruption and noise. No reliable jobs. No meaningful investment in our mobility. We've been promised a few short-term construction jobs, but no long-term transit improvements or economic uplift. That's not equity — it's extraction.
Let's also examine the travel time savings that Maglev promoters like to tout. A 15-minute ride between D.C. and Baltimore sounds great in theory, but it does not include the time it takes to get to the Maglev stations — both of which would be deep in the urban cores of each city. Real commutes aren't point-to-point miracles. They involve walking, transfers, delays and often multiple systems.
Without meaningful integration with existing transit, the Maglev could actually complicate travel, not streamline it.
Supporters often point to Japan as a shining example of high-speed rail success. And it's true — Japan's Shinkansen and Maglev lines are marvels of engineering. But Japan also has the infrastructure, culture and density to support that kind of system.
Tokyo, for example, has over 39,000 people per square mile in some areas — vastly higher than any corridor between D.C. and Baltimore. Japan also has a deeply ingrained public transit culture that makes high-speed rail practical. Maryland simply does not have the same conditions to justify this scale of investment.
We need bold transportation investments — but bold does not have to mean flashy. It means practical, people-centered solutions: Expanding bus routes, extending service hours, modernizing fleets, integrating systems, improving accessibility and making transit affordable. It means investing where people already are — and where they've been asking for improvements for years.
A truly visionary transportation system does not just move people quickly — it moves people equitably. It respects the communities it runs through. It protects the ecosystems it touches. It closes gaps in mobility and opens doors to opportunity. SCMaglev may be fast, but it's not right for Maryland — not now, and not at this cost.
