Bullet Train Proposal from Baltimore to DC Receives $2M from Japan

BALTIMORE, MD — Here’s a dream commute: a 15-minute train ride from downtown Baltimore to downtown Washington, D.C., via a bullet train.

During a Wednesday ceremony to sign trade agreements between the state of Maryland and Japan, Ambassador Kenichiro Sasae announced that his country has committed $2 million to help pay for a feasibility study on building a high-speed magnetic levitation train between the two cities.

When Gov. Larry Hogan visited Japan last year he was impressed with the country’s so-called bullet trains, which travel at more than 350 mph. He promised to explore the $10 billion project connecting Washington and Baltimore, reports The Baltimore Sun.

"The ability to travel between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., in only 15 minutes will be absolutely transformative, not just for these two cities, but for our entire state," Hogan said in a statement in November when federal grants were announced for the proposal. "This grant will go a long way in helping us determine our next steps in this transportation and economic development opportunity."

The magnetic technology lets trains speed over tracks on a cushion of air; it has been in use in Japan for years. There are no bullet trains operating in the United States, the Sun says, although several states are also considering it.

The Baltimore-Washington SCMaglev project is a private sector initiative led by Baltimore-Washington Rapid Rail, which envisions a 15-minute ride between downtown Baltimore and downtown Washington, D.C., with an interim stop at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, says the governor’s office.

Nearly $28 million in U.S. federal grants have already been secured to complete the necessary environmental and engineering studies. A 20 percent outside match is required, and the $2 million from Japan will go toward that 20 percent.

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