Home | Maryland Coalition for Responsible Transit

Our name is Maryland Coalition for Responsible Transit (MCRT). We evaluate transit projects for social equity, environmental justice, economic viability, and community accessibility. We believe that the Baltimore Washington (BW) SCMaglev must be stopped in order to implement future transit projects that meet our criteria of a much lower price and much less risk and impact to communities. Thus, we support the no-build option and are working to stop this project through the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, specifically by building public capacity to respond to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS).

We can be reached at mcrtaction@gmail.com

Greetings, everyone, including all elected officials and your staff!

We are the Maryland Coalition for Responsible Transit (MCRT). Our mission is to evaluate transit projects for social equity, environmental justice, economic viability, environmental impact, and community accessibility. We have closely followed the proposed Baltimore-Washington Superconducting Magnetic Levitation (SCMaglev) transportation project for several years. We wrote many white papers and an extensive set of comments in response to the project’s 2021 Draft Environmental Impact Statement. All of these can be found here on this website under the SCMaglev Opposition Tab (at the top right of this page). We have worked with government agencies, other organizations, elected officials, and communities to fully understand and address the extensive impacts this project would have in Maryland.

MCRT offers background and detailed resources on this proposed high-speed train that would run from Mount Vernon Square in Washington, D.C., both tunneling under and emerging above ground along the Baltimore-Washington Parkway in Prince George’s and Anne Arundel counties, to Cherry Hill, on the southern tip of Baltimore City. Residents will be impacted by this project. Their elected officials may well want to be prepared to answer questions from their constituents on their position(s) on this approximately $16 billion transportation proposal.

We have compiled extensive information on the SCMaglev project, available on this website (www.mcrt-action.org). These resources will be helpful for anyone interested in background on this project, including elected officials and their staff. For questions about our research or to arrange an

in-depth briefing or discussion, please send a request to mcrtaction@gmail.com.

Also note, Information flyers in English and Spanish are available at links on this website.

Email MCRT

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- - - - - SCMaglev Status - - - - -

The SCMaglev project is ALIVE and the Baltimore-Washington Rapid Rail is working hard

to see the project is approved.

As of August 23, 2022:

BWRR - Stonewall Capital Court Case. The Baltimore City Circuit Court case pitting the developer Stonewall Capital against Baltimore Washington Rapid Rail over a large portion of land in Westport Baltimore City is paused. See the "Announcements" section below for more information.

SCMAGLEV Water Quality Certification (WQC) Review & Hearings. The Maryland Department of the Environment has published a schedule for three in-person hearings and one virtual hearing on the SCMAGLEV Water Quality Certification. You can also download and read the following WQC documents: (1) February 7, 2023, WQC Request Package, (2) Joint Permit Application (v. March 2021) (Nontidal Wetlands Permit Application No: 20-NT-1398, Tidal Wetlands License Application No. 20-WL-1574), and (3) Tier II Review Documents.

See: https://mde.maryland.gov/programs/water/WetlandsandWaterways/Pages/SCMAGLEV.aspx.

FRA SCMaglev DEIS Review. The Federal Railroad Administration review of the SCMaglev Draft Environmental Impact Study was paused on August 26, 2021, and is still on pause. To see the FRA's Permitting Dashboard for the SCMaglev Project, click on:

https://www.permits.performance.gov/permitting-project/dot-projects/baltimore-washington-superconducting-maglev-project.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Affiliate Your Organization with MCRT to Help Stop the SCMaglev

Are you a Maryland resident alarmed by SCMaglev's hyped promises, unproven technology, and destruction of our communities and environment?

We are eager to share what we have learned and expand our alliances with neighborhood associations, nature advocacy groups, and other organizations. If you are in a position to write on behalf of your organization, please visit our Affiliate Intake Form.

News

November 6, 2023 - Westport developer settles lawsuit with builder of high-speed maglev train. Stonewall Capital and the Baltimore Washington Rapid Rail (BWRR) reached an agreement that allows both the planned mixed-use development of the 43-acre waterfront plot in Westport and the building of the SCMaglev maintenance facility and train yard. To see the full article by Melody Simmons – Senior Reporter, Baltimore Business Journal, click here.

August 15, 2023 - MCRT Summer 2023 Newsletter published. Urgent Call for Water Quality Experts - - Big $$$ Behind Northeast Maglev’s Lobbying Influence - - Postponed: Jury Trial for Maglev-Westport Condemnation Lawsuit - - More TNEM “Blatant Subterfuge” - - MCRT at Community Events - - MCRT Speaks to Community Groups - - Baltimore’s Penn Station Gets $6m for Upgrades. To read this edition click here.

April 16, 2023 - MCRT Spring 2023 Newsletter published. MCRT Goes to Annapolis - - MCRT Sends Letters of Inquiry to the MDE, FRA, and MDOT - - New Leadership in Annapolis - - SCMaglev Ridership Numbers Inflated? Yes! - - More TNEM “Blatant Subterfuge” - - Investors, Time to Drop Your Support for the SCMaglev? - - In What Universe Does the SCMaglev Make Sense? To read this edition click here.

April 13, 2023 - MCRT releases its 2022 Annual Report. To review the report click here.

March 28, 2023 - Update on Amtrak's new Acela scheduled to go into service this Fall. To see the Washington Post video click here.

January 21, 2023 - The Maglev’s Diminishing Prospects published on Greenbelt Online. To read the article click here.

September 21, 2022 - Westport Community Pushes Back Over South Baltimore 7 Maglev Endorsement

Click here to read Melody Simmons' article in the Baltimore Business Journal. (Note: A subscription is required to read the article)

September 20, 2022 - MCRT Joins Baltimore Westport Associations In Setting the Record Straight

In its September 8th press release, the South Baltimore 7 Coalition (SB7) falsely claimed to represent all its members as endorsing the SCMaglev train project. This inaccurate and misleading report emanated from the convening of a special board meeting by the SB7 chair to pressure community leaders to vote in favor of a letter supporting this transportation project. The vote was not unanimous, as only three members voted in favor, two voted no, and one abstained.

The Northeast Maglev (TNEM) announced SB7's claim in its September 15th e-mail marketing newsletter, thanking the SB7 communities for “throwing their collective weight behind the Northeast Maglev project,” further spreading misleading information. To read the TNEM newsletter announcement click here.

The Westport Neighborhood Association (WNA) and Westport Community Economic Development Corporation (Westport CEDC) are setting the record straight regarding the SB7. The MCRT joins the WNA and Westport CEDC in challenging the continued deceptive and unsupported claims made by Baltimore-Washington Rapid Rail to promote building the SCMaglev. To read the September 20th MCRT press release click here.

September 14, 2022 - MCRT Report Released - SCMaglev Proposed Use of Konterra Property

MCRT experts have prepared this report to ". . . provide the “Konterra” references contained within the SCMaglev DEIS documents and supplement each of the extracted sections in order to provide context and additional information for each topic. Some commentary is provided in this document to explain our interpretation of the references." For a copy of this report, click here.

August 15, 2022 - FRA Responses to MCRT's FOIA Appeal

To read the FRA's response click here.

June 8, 2022 - MCRT's new SCMaglev Info handouts have arrived.

For the English version - click here.

For the Spanish version - click here.

Presentations

MCRT has prepared and made a series of presentations on the negative impacts of building and operating the SCMaglev would bring to Maryland, and raise challenges to the promises and marketing message promotors of the SCMaglev have stated. Here are a small sampling of these presentations. (click on the title to open)