By Jim Watts
Bond Buyer
DALLAS -- Maryland has applied for a $27.8 million federal grant to study the feasibility of a high-speed super-conducting magnetic levitation train between Washington and Baltimore, Gov. Larry Hogan said last week after riding one of the high-tech trains on an official visit to Japan.
The patented SCMaglev technology developed by Japan Central Railway Co. uses magnetic forces to elevate trains a few inches above the track and accelerate them to speeds of more than 300 miles per hour. Japan Central’s maglev train recently set a world rail speed record of 375 miles per hour in April.
The Baltimore to Washington maglev system proposed by Japan Central Railway and Baltimore-Washington Rapid Rail LLC could cost $10 billion. The project has received a commitment of $5 billion from the public Japan Bank for International Cooperation and Central Japan Railway has waived all licensing fees for its proprietary maglev technology.
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