On 2nd August 2025, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) cancelled federal funding for the SCMAGLEV project to build a superconducting magnetic levitation (maglev) infrastructure between Baltimore and Washington, amounting to around €22.5 million (US$26 million). The decision was made after years of planning problems, public and regulatory opposition, and cost increases to nearly €17.3 billion. The FRA justified the withdrawal of funding with a lack of progress and irresolvable conflicts with federal agencies such as the NSA, the Department of Defense, and NASA. In addition, environmental reviews were halted in August 2021 because the FRA fears that the line would indirectly impact the operations and infrastructure of government agencies. The project has been in development for over a decade by Baltimore–Washington Rapid Rail (BWRR) with support from Japan's state railway JR. However, the FRA's cancellation makes implementation of the project unlikely.
