DC - Baltimore Maglev Station Alignments
Anacostia Station East
Arriving on a Northeast alignment to Anacostia Station, the route bypasses the city and instead follows the Orange Line Metro route North to Baltimore.
Anacostia North
Arriving on a North alignment to Anacostia Station, the route makes use of the proposed South Capitol Street I-295 Link to head North into the city. The route can pass through Union Station or head Northeast to either the Rt. 50 Exchange or the Hechinger Station location.
Union Station North
Hechinger Station North
Arriving by way of Anacostia Station or its bypass, the route heads North via Union Station to either the Red Line and I-95, or to the Northeast via the Rt. 50 Exchange on the West side, before heading North to Baltimore.
Hechinger Station North
Hechinger Station North
There are a variety of routes that can make use of the Hechinger Station to head North directly through the city, extending to the Rt.50 Exchange on the East side of the complex.
Hechinger Station East
As with the North alignment, there are several routes that can make use of a due-East path out of the city, turning North along the existing Orange Line Metro route.
Rt. 50 Exchange North
Because there is significant length to the Rt. 50 Exchange site, while the due-North alignments from Hechinger Station are ideal, routes from the West (such as those from Union Station) that turn North at the Exchange are feasible.
Rt. 50 Exchange East
The Union Station North alignment cuts Eastward past the Rt. 50 Exchange on an Eastward trajectory, crossing the Anacostia River before turning North.
Anacostia - Rt. 50 North
This specific alignment links the Anacostia Station to the Rt. 50 Exchange via Hechinger Station, continuing North by one of two primary predicted routes.
Inter-City Route Alignments
Fort Totten to White Oak
Fort Totten to White Oak
Exiting Union Station to the North following the Red Line to Fort Totten, the route to Baltimore branches Northeast from the Red Line (in pink).
Greenbelt
Fort Totten to White Oak
From the Rt. 50 Exchange, the route exits the Beltway at Greenbelt Station, heading North to Baltimore.
Anacostia Station to Cheverly
Rt. 50 Exchange East to Cheverly
Traveling East out of Anacostia Station, the route (in Orange) follows the Orange Line out to New Carrollton before heading North to Baltimore.
Rt. 50 Exchange East to Cheverly
Rt. 50 Exchange East to Cheverly
Exiting the Rt. 50 Exchange to the East, the route (in purple) intersects and overlaps the Orange Line heading North.
Rt. 50 Exchange North to Greenbelt Exchange
Exiting the Rt. 50 Exchange heading North, the route (in Orange) exits the Beltway Loop East of Greenbelt.
Rt. 50 Exchange East to Greenbelt Exchange
As with the Rt. 50 Exchange North route, the Rt. 50 Exchange East route takes a different path to the same point, exiting the Beltway Loop East of Greenbelt.
Primary Routes
EKB Proposed Routes
EKB Proposed Routes
EKB Proposed Routes
EKB identified 5 primary routes, with options varying at either end of the route (typically 1-3 options per route). The Lavender-shade line is the "direct route".
FRA Proposed Routes
EKB Proposed Routes
EKB Proposed Routes
FRA identified 13 routes, with some combination of 4 primary routes, of which 2 were deemed most viable.
Baltimore City Station Alignments
All Roads Lead to Camden
The crux of the Baltimore proposal is a development at Camden Station, providing connectivity to Harborplace and redeveloping the Baltimore Convention Center.
Alignments In, Alignments Out
While the Station planning is very much directed to Camden Station, flexibility is key when considering both a regional and national rail network. Many routes run due-North and due-South out of the proposed Camden Station expansion, and so the majority of the solutions involve curves heading Northeast so as to provide a smooth path along the Atlantic Coastal Corridor.
Alternate Alignments
There are two additional options on an East-West alignment:
1) A development of a Metro North Station/Hub, that provides for a kind of Maglev Loop between DC and Baltimore.
2) A due-East and due-West alignment along the North face of the proposed Station, in effect creating two separate alignments--one for Northbound trains, and one for Southbound trains.
Under or Over the Water
The vast majority of route alignments come from the South directly over the water, which coincides with the existing routes between DC and Baltimore for MARC and Amtrak trains. It is possible to go vertical upwards, and it is possible to go vertical downwards. Generally speaking, because the alignments Northbound are designed to minimize disruption to the area and generally follow an urban rail development scheme, tunneling is the preferred method.
What About Penn Station?
There has been a plan to redevelop or heavily rehabilitate Penn Station. In general, the scheme of having two stations is attractive as it allows for segmentation of particular modes of transit, and the two stations can be relatively easily-linked particularly when the alignments overlap through a tunnel.
As with the North-South vs East-West optionality, there is one alignment option for heading due-North out of Camden Station before taking a very sharp turn into alignment with Penn Station. Because I envision the Camden Station to provide for light freight intermodal options, the Penn Station route would strictly be for Atlantic Coastal Corridor passengers and/or USPS deliveries.
Key Bridge Replacement or Supplemental Tunnel
Because the rail network I am envisioning makes use of both passenger and freight options, the connectivity to Sparrow's Point and the nearby piers is a significant consideration. As with DC, there is some benefit to having multiple options to either enter or go around the city, and the alignments for the industrial/freight options provides exactly that potential.
Federal Projects for DC - Baltimore Maglev
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Environmental Impact Survey (EIS)
In 2017, the federal government performed an analysis of the routes between DC and Baltimore for the purpose of assessing the viability of a Maglev train route between the two cities. As is required by law, an Environmental Impact Statement is required, which includes a comprehensive analysis of the environmental issues that exist (or don't) between the two targets. The analysis tends to, and did, include aspects of the socioeconomic factors that might possibly be involved in such construction, and the impacts to the human developments in place.
- "In August 2021, FRA and MDOT paused the environmental review process for the Baltimore-Washington Superconducting Magnetic Levitation (SCMAGLEV) Project following the public comment period on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). The purpose of the pause was to allow FRA and MDOT to review project elements and determine next steps. In addition, MDOT, in consultation with FRA, reviewed project funding to continue the environmental review."
The Westport Tunnel Easement
A settlement to build under, rather than condemn, Westport
There is now an easement for a tunnel under Westport on a North-South alignment to Baltimore. This tunnel is effectively the primary ingress and egress to the redeveloped Convention Center site I have proposed for Camden Station, which would coincide with the Camden Station Maglev destination between DC and Baltimore.
The proposed size of the tunnel is limited to the bare minimum for the line, with a projection of 72 feet in width. The SCMAGLEV Project is geared around a limited East Coast Rail line, whereas the requirement for this project from my perspective would need to be and would want to be at least marginally larger. For a general sense of the project scope, see "Redline Transcontinental" where the DC - Baltimore line is a priority extension of the same alignment, transitioning into "Atlantic Coastal Corridor".
SCMAGLEV Project Status
A plan to have Maglev.
The current state of the project can be seen here.
