Md. lawmakers 'drive stake' into maglev funding

A group of Maryland lawmakers is seeking to have funding for a proposed high-speed maglev train project removed from that state's budget.

The magnetic levitation train runs on a elevated track, or guideway, at speeds that may reach 240 mph. Maryland's maglev project would link Baltimore with Washington, D.C. It would take about 20 minutes to make the trek on guideways that are proposed to run parallel to a current Amtrak rail line.

This is from another thread. I posted it before I spotted this article.

Just heard PA Rep Mike Doyle on one of those Comcast cable news minutes saying Pennsylvania has agreed to shell out 500 million in local matching funds in hopes of bringing the federal high speed maglev project to Pittsburgh. Baltimore apparently will not be able to come up with similar funding so the speculation is we get the project.

What I don't see is where the Rendell administration is finding the money. 500 mil isn't exactly chump change, especially in a state that's financially strapped.

The technology is interesting and I'd rather be on maglev than a plane, but where does the money come from?

I'm not sure of the details, but it looks like (unlike many other states) Pennsylvania has the discipline to keep its financial affairs in order. (Rendell budget full of 'painful' cuts )

Maglev will be a good infrastructure project for Pennsylvania, providing not only jobs for its construction, but also improved transportation that will facilitate commerce and an expanded tax base.

BTW, Pennsylvania still isn't a shoe-in for the project. Although it is by far the best location for testing this new technology (due to the challenging terrain and climate), there are forces at work to try to resurrect a previously rejected proposal to build it from Las Vegas to a group of casinos that sit in the middle of nowhere on the California/Nevada state line. The route isn't challenging to Maglev's technological capabilities by any stretch of the imagination, and would only serve as a carnival ride for touristst. Alaska representative Don Young is part of this diversion effort. I imagine he's more concerned about propping up the price of Alaskan oil and wants to minimize the dramatic impact that Maglev technology would have in a more traditional setting. Needless to say, the same Nevada 'Rat Senators who obstruct our nation's nuclear energy policies are also on board this (potential) gift to the casinos.

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