WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Next-generation rail making inroads back east

MagLevTrain
High-speed MagLev train in Germany.

As negotiations continue on a transportation revenue package here in Washington, elected officials on the East Coast are weighing a proposal to install advanced, high-speed rail from Washington, D.C. to Baltimore.

Long thought to be the property of science fiction movies, magnetic levitation – MagLev – rail systems have successfully been constructed and operated in Europe and Japan.

And according to the New York Times, the Japanese government has offered to pay for a substantial portion of a D.C.-Baltimore MagLev line to demonstrate that success is possible in the U.S.

They recently hosted a group of businesses leaders and former elected officials in an effort to kick-start exports of MagLev equipment.

A MagLev system operates by magnetizing both the rail lines and train cars with opposing currents and propelling the train forward at up to 360 miles per hour. The trip from D.C. to Baltimore would take less than ten minutes, and a similar system would cut the commute time from Seattle to Spokane down to about 50 minutes.

Are magnetic powered trains coming to Washington state? It will likely depend on how they fare in the other Washington. But with a growing population, congestion on the rise, and gas tax revenues declining, we’ll need new and innovative options to ensure that Washingtonians continue to enjoy the freedom of movement that they have today.

Click here and watch the videos below for more on how MagLev trains work.

How they work:

What’s the hold up?