Celebrating Maryland’s Rich History,
March 25 commemorates the formal founding of the colony of Maryland with European’s first landfall back in 1634. Maryland Day has been designated as a day to be devoted to the study of Maryland history. Since the state is home to our headquarters, we’re taking some time to celebrate some of the amazing contributions Maryland made to our rail system.
A few years ago we wrote a blog post highlighting 10 famous inventions that originated in Baltimore. Among them, and arguably the most famous, is the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. The B&O was the first common carrier railroad in the United States, carrying both passengers and freight, connecting the state to tremendous economic, cultural, and societal benefits. It also allowed Maryland merchants to compete with the newly opened Erie Canal.
As we look at the past and the tremendous influence the railroad had on Maryland, we can’t help but look eagerly to the future. Just as the B&O introduced brand new transportation technology, the Northeast Maglev project will introduce the next generation superconducting maglev technology to the United States – right here in Maryland.
And as the adoption of the steam powered locomotive represented more than simply a means of transportation, the superconducting maglev will be much more than a train. The Northeast Maglev project will also be more than the careers represented by the 161,000 job-years and $8.8 billion in employee earnings related to construction efforts. It will be more than its removal of 58,000 car trips a day from local roadways and more than a fast, safe, dependable, and frequent 15-minute trip between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore.
With Northeast Maglev, Maryland will once again become the epicenter of next generation transportation technology and all that goes into bringing it to fruition. The State will be on the world stage as being at the forefront of a modal shift from a dependence on single passenger vehicles to an integration of clean transportation networks allowing people to move safely, quickly, and efficiently.
Not only will Northeast Maglev become the high-speed spine of the future’s transportation network and attract investment into local public transportation, businesses, and transit-oriented development, it will become the pride of Maryland just as the B&O Railroad was almost two centuries ago.