Moore's maglev support angers Marylanders in path of high-speed train: 'Can't stop fighting'

When Maryland Gov. Wes Moore was in Japan expressing amazement at magnetic-levitation train technology, residents in the path of the proposed high-speed train back home were less than impressed.

"I thought it was a slap in the face," said Susan McCutchen, a resident of Bladensburg in Prince George's County who has spent the better part of eight years fighting a maglev train proposed to zip between Washington and Baltimore.

The Democratic governor, she said, had seemed to be on the fence about the maglev proposal, not offering a clear position. "We've been hearing rumors he supports it, and then he goes to Japan and says it," she said.

McCutchen, a volunteer with the anti-maglev Maryland Coalition for Responsible Transit, was among about 100 people who packed a stuffy library meeting room in Greenbelt on Saturday morning to express concerns and frustration about the train project.

They're worried the Democratic governor's enthusiasm might reignite the proposal, which has been stalled in an environmental review for the past few years.

Capable of reaching speeds in excess of 300 mph, maglev holds the promise of slashing the trip time between East Coast cities. The idea of sending a maglev train jetting between D.C. and Baltimore dates back to the 1990s.

But the $10 billion-plus proposal has gone in fits and starts, and faced opposition from residents concerned about the cost and disruption from a train line that would more likely cater to out-of-towners than local residents hoping for a better commute to work.

This story by Pamela Wood continues. Read the rest at The Baltimore Banner: Moore's maglev support angers Marylanders in path of high-speed train: 'Can't stop fighting'