Duffy rescinds federal funding for Baltimore-Washington high-speed rail

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Aug. 1 rescinded two Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) grants totaling $26 million for the Baltimore-Washington Superconducting Magnetic Levitation (SCMAGLEV) project.

The SCMAGLEV project proposed a high-speed rail line using superconducting magnetic levitation technology between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. The estimated cost of the project was nearly $20 billion, U.S. Department of Transportation officials said in a press release.

The FRA has been involved in funding the project since 2016. Since then, the project has experienced delays and cost overruns, USDOT officials said. The environmental review process has been paused twice, including a long pause from 2021 to the present.

"This project did not have the means to go the distance, and I can’t in good conscience keep taxpayers on the hook for it," said Duffy. "We’ll continue to look for exciting opportunities to fund the future of transportation and encourage innovation."