Welcome to the Federal Railroad Administration

Magnetic levitation (Maglev) is an advanced technology in which magnetic forces lift, propel, and guide a vehicle over a guideway. Utilizing state-of-the-art electric power and control systems, this configuration eliminates contact between vehicle and guideway and permits cruising speeds of up to 300 mph, or almost two times the speed of conventional high-speed rail service. Because of its high speed, Maglev offers competitive trip-time savings to auto and aviation modes in the 40- to 600-mile travel marketsï¿½an ideal travel option for the 21st century.

In 1998 Congress passed the "Transportation Equity Act for the 21^st Century" making available more than $ 218 billion over a six year period for surface transportation assistance to states and localities. Section 1218 of this Act created a National Magnetic Levitation Transportation Technology Deployment Program. The program is administered by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), a unit of the Department of Transportation. The idea behind the program is to demonstrate high speed maglev technology in commercial service through a project of about 40 miles in length, so that it can be considered later in the century for implementation in a longer distance intercity corridor application.

As provided for in Section 1218, federal funding consists of $55 million for preconstruction planning to identify the most promising project through a competitive process , and up to $950 million for final engineering and construction of the guideway of the one selected project. The Federal funds for planning and construction must be matched 1/3 to 2/3 by state, local, or private contributions. To be eligible for Federal construction funding, each project must demonstrate that operating revenues will exceed operating costs, and total benefits will exceed total costs over a 40-year period.

Applications for projects were solicited from states or their designated authorities, and in May 1999 seven projects were selected to participate in a one-year program of preconstruction planning needed to identify the most promising project. Sponsors of these projects were given planning grants.

Each of the seven projects submitted a Project Description to FRA on June 30, 2000. The Project Descriptions include: projected environmental effects, costs of construction, equipment, and operations and maintenance; estimates of ridership and revenues; an implementation schedule; operating plans; a management plan defining a public/private partnership that will plan, finance, construct and operate the project; and a financial plan.

A multi-disciplined selection review committee from the Department of Transportation reviewed the Project Descriptions received from the seven competing projects. The committee reported to the Secretary on the merits of each project, to assist him in selecting the most promising projects to receive continued federal support for the pre-construction planning.

The Department of Transportation selected the Maryland and Pennsylvania projects to continue to the next stage of the program. A Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement was published and distributed on April 20, 2001 that selected the "action alternative" to continue the program as the preferred alternative, and identified the Maryland and Pennsylvania projects for continued evaluation and project development. The Secretary of Transportation may select one of these projects for possible design and construction based upon more detailed information. Any decision to proceed with the construction phase would be contingent upon Congressional appropriations and completion of a site-specific Environmental Impact Statement for the selected project. Following are descriptions of the two selected projects, both of which are based on application of the Transrapid maglev technology:

The two project teams will share about $14.2 million in FY 2001 federal funding, to be matched by $7.1 million to refine proposed plans, estimates of ridership and revenues, and environmental analysis, and to secure financial commitments. The information generated in this process will enable the Department to make a well informed selection of a project and will form the basis for the site-specific Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) regarding the selected project. Is anticipated that early in 2003, the Department would be in a position to select a single project and, later that year, upon completion of the EIS, to make the decision to go ahead with construction.

Although not selected to participate in the next phase of the Maglev Deployment Program, the projects in California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Nevada were encouraged to continue to develop their plans and seek alternative sources of financing. To assist them, FRA has made available almost $1 million in federal funds for each of the projects, as specified by Congress in the FY2001 Appropriation Act.

Between now and 2003, the FRA will administer the planning grants and monitor the work of each of the project sponsors. In addition, since maglev comes under the jurisdiction of the Federal Railroad Safety Act, FRA must approve the design and operational plan for a maglev project through FRAï¿½s safety rule-making process. During this period FRA will analyze these designs and plans from a safety assurance viewpoint. Since the Federal Republic of Germany has already conducted a similar process with regard to implementation of the same Transrapid maglev technology in Germany, the Department has signed an agreement with its counterpart department in Germany to share safety-related information.

Maglev Legislation and Regulations - The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century

The most recent legislation regarding magnetic levitation (maglev) is the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), Public Law 105-178, which was enacted June 9, 1998. TEA-21 authorizes the Federal surface transportation programs for the 6-year period 1998-2003. The TEA 21 Restoration Act, enacted July 22, 1998, provided technical corrections to the original law. This web site reflects the combined effect of these two laws and refers to this combination as TEA-21.


Site Index Railroad Development High Speed Rail Magnetic Levitation
		Magnetic Levitation (MAGLEV)
		Magnetic levitation (Maglev) is an advanced technology in which magnetic forces lift, propel, and guide a vehicle over a guideway. Utilizing state-of-the-art electric power and control systems, this configuration eliminates contact between vehicle and guideway and permits cruising speeds of up to 300 mph, or almost two times the speed of conventional high-speed rail service. Because of its high speed, Maglev offers competitive trip-time savings to auto and aviation modes in the 40- to 600-mile travel marketsï¿½an ideal travel option for the 21st century. The MAGLEV Deployment Program In 1998 Congress passed the "Transportation Equity Act for the 21^st Century" making available more than $ 218 billion over a six year period for surface transportation assistance to states and localities. Section 1218 of this Act created a National Magnetic Levitation Transportation Technology Deployment Program. The program is administered by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), a unit of the Department of Transportation. The idea behind the program is to demonstrate high speed maglev technology in commercial service through a project of about 40 miles in length, so that it can be considered later in the century for implementation in a longer distance intercity corridor application. As provided for in Section 1218, federal funding consists of $55 million for preconstruction planning to identify the most promising project through a competitive process , and up to $950 million for final engineering and construction of the guideway of the one selected project. The Federal funds for planning and construction must be matched 1/3 to 2/3 by state, local, or private contributions. To be eligible for Federal construction funding, each project must demonstrate that operating revenues will exceed operating costs, and total benefits will exceed total costs over a 40-year period. Applications for projects were solicited from states or their designated authorities, and in May 1999 seven projects were selected to participate in a one-year program of preconstruction planning needed to identify the most promising project. Sponsors of these projects were given planning grants. Each of the seven projects submitted a Project Description to FRA on June 30, 2000. The Project Descriptions include: projected environmental effects, costs of construction, equipment, and operations and maintenance; estimates of ridership and revenues; an implementation schedule; operating plans; a management plan defining a public/private partnership that will plan, finance, construct and operate the project; and a financial plan. A multi-disciplined selection review committee from the Department of Transportation reviewed the Project Descriptions received from the seven competing projects. The committee reported to the Secretary on the merits of each project, to assist him in selecting the most promising projects to receive continued federal support for the pre-construction planning. The Department of Transportation selected the Maryland and Pennsylvania projects to continue to the next stage of the program. A Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement was published and distributed on April 20, 2001 that selected the "action alternative" to continue the program as the preferred alternative, and identified the Maryland and Pennsylvania projects for continued evaluation and project development. The Secretary of Transportation may select one of these projects for possible design and construction based upon more detailed information. Any decision to proceed with the construction phase would be contingent upon Congressional appropriations and completion of a site-specific Environmental Impact Statement for the selected project. Following are descriptions of the two selected projects, both of which are based on application of the Transrapid maglev technology: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: A 76 kilometer (47-mile) project linking Pittsburgh Airport to Pittsburgh and its eastern suburbs. The project has been under study since 1990 and has two objectives. One is to demonstrate the first high-speed maglev project in the U.S. The other is to establish the precision fabrication technology to implement maglev technology anywhere in the U.S. The rugged physical terrain, a full four season climate, and stops at an airport, downtown and in the suburbs would demonstrate the full potential of maglev technology to provide service in a variety of environments. The project is intended to be the first stage of a system that would eventually provide high-speed intercity service to Cleveland on the west and Philadelphia on the east. C Baltimore, Maryland to Washington DC: A 64 kilometer (40-mile) project linking Camden Yard in Baltimore (a sports complex and center for recreation and tourism) and Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) Airport to Union Station in Washington, D.C. This project has been under study since 1994. Preliminary studies indicate the project would serve between 20,000 and 40,000 trips per day, even with continued Amtrak service in the corridor. It would provide residents and visitors to Washington DC with a second airport only 15 minutes from Union Station and take some of the pressure off Reagan National Airport which is currently operating at capacity with rationing of gate slots. The project is visualized as the initial stage of a high-speed maglev system that would serve the entire Northeast Corridor between Boston and Charlotte, NC. In the event the Baltimore-Washington area wins its bid for the 2012 Olympic designation, the system would provide rapid transportation between the sports venues in both cities and the airport. The two project teams will share about $14.2 million in FY 2001 federal funding, to be matched by $7.1 million to refine proposed plans, estimates of ridership and revenues, and environmental analysis, and to secure financial commitments. The information generated in this process will enable the Department to make a well informed selection of a project and will form the basis for the site-specific Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) regarding the selected project. Is anticipated that early in 2003, the Department would be in a position to select a single project and, later that year, upon completion of the EIS, to make the decision to go ahead with construction. Although not selected to participate in the next phase of the Maglev Deployment Program, the projects in California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Nevada were encouraged to continue to develop their plans and seek alternative sources of financing. To assist them, FRA has made available almost $1 million in federal funds for each of the projects, as specified by Congress in the FY2001 Appropriation Act. Between now and 2003, the FRA will administer the planning grants and monitor the work of each of the project sponsors. In addition, since maglev comes under the jurisdiction of the Federal Railroad Safety Act, FRA must approve the design and operational plan for a maglev project through FRAï¿½s safety rule-making process. During this period FRA will analyze these designs and plans from a safety assurance viewpoint. Since the Federal Republic of Germany has already conducted a similar process with regard to implementation of the same Transrapid maglev technology in Germany, the Department has signed an agreement with its counterpart department in Germany to share safety-related information. Maglev Press Releases U.S. Secretary of Transportation Slater Selects Two High Speed Maglev Projects (1/18/01) Secretary Slater Announces Finalists for Maglev Technology Deployment Program (5/24/99) FRAï¿½s Final Rule on Maglev Makes Pre-Construction Planning Funds Available (01/14/01) FRA Report Examines Feasibility of High-Speed Ground Transportation for the U.S. (8/27/96) Maglev Legislation and Regulations - The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century The most recent legislation regarding magnetic levitation (maglev) is the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), Public Law 105-178, which was enacted June 9, 1998. TEA-21 authorizes the Federal surface transportation programs for the 6-year period 1998-2003. The TEA 21 Restoration Act, enacted July 22, 1998, provided technical corrections to the original law. This web site reflects the combined effect of these two laws and refers to this combination as TEA-21. For maglev issues in TEA-21, this Website contains the related legislative language, fact sheets and related federal register notices and regulations. Fact Sheet for Magnetic Levitation Transportation Technology Deployment Program. Legislative Language - Section 322, Title 23, U.S.C. Maglev Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement Maglev Final Programmatic EIS Federal Register Notices Notice of Intent PEIS for the Maglev Deployment Program Notice of Intent for preparing EIS's Regulations Magnetic Levitation Transportation Technology Deployment Program, Final Rule, January 14, 2000, 65 Fed. Reg. 2342 (this final rule supercedes the interim final rule and amendment to the interim final rule, and revises part 268 title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations). PDF Version (143K) FRA Publications on Maglev High Speed Ground Transportatior for America, by Federal Railroad Administration September 1997 Final Report on the National Maglev Initiative, by NMI Office of Federal railroad Administration, Department of Energy, and Army Corps of Engineers, September 1993 Other Maglev Links Japan’s Railway Technical Research Institute (RTRI) (Japanese and English) Information on various state-of-the-art railway technology and related information Japan’s Research and Development on Magnetic Levitation Maglev High Speed Test Track at Holloman Air Force Base Boeing MagLev Features Official Transrapid Website (in German/English) Passenger Acceptance of Alignments with Frequent Curves in Maglev Other Very-High-Speed Ground Systems Baltimore-Wahington Maglev Project Pittsburgh Maglev Project