The U.S. government has approved the first federal funds for an ambitious plan to tap Japanese technology for a high-speed train project that could carry passengers between New York and Washington, D.C. at more than 300 miles an hour (482 km/h).
The Federal Railroad Administration approved a grant of USD27.8 million for the project, which would use magnetic levitation, or maglev.
The funds were granted to the Maryland Department of Transportation and Maryland Economic Development Corporation. The project is being led by a private organization called The Northeast Maglev, which is working with railway officials in Japan.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has pledged to provide several billion dollars in financing to partially fund the first leg of the project, which would connect Washington to Baltimore in about 15 minutes. The total cost of that portion alone has been estimated at USD10 billion.
Japan plans to deploy maglev technology on a new high-speed line between Tokyo and Nagoya that is being developed by Central Japan Railway Co. Test trains have achieved speeds well above 500 km/h (310 miles an hour).
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