PITTSBURGH Questions remain about plans to build high-speed rail line

Maglev technology uses magnetic forces to propel a vehicle at speeds of more than 240 mph.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Planners who want to bring a highly touted high-speed magnetic rail project to the Pittsburgh region have already submitted their draft plans, hoping to beat out the Baltimore-Washington area for federal funding.
But with federal officials expected to decide early next year which of the two regions will get the demonstration project, plenty of questions remain.
The Pennsylvania draft plan, for instance, includes a route that still could change, with some municipalities wanting no part of maglev. Then there are worries that a slumping economy -- not to mention an ongoing war against terrorism and potential conflict with Iraq -- could make $950 million in federal funding for the project too dear.
Much at stake
At stake is not only the money for the cutting edge project, but bragging rights, tourism dollars and a lure for new businesses.
"It would put Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania back on the map in terms of transportation," said Fred Gurney, chief executive officer for Maglev Inc., a consortium of labor and business backing the idea for the Pittsburgh region.
Maglev technology, which is already in use in Germany and being built in China, uses magnetic forces to propel a vehicle over a guideway at speeds of more than 240 mph. Supporters believe it could eventually compete with airlines for trips of up to 600 miles and ultimately envision a network of hubs connecting cities across the country.
The planned 54-mile system in western Pennsylvania would run from Pittsburgh International Airport, which is about 15 miles east of the city, to Pittsburgh and on through the suburbs to Greensburg, about 25 miles east. In Maryland, the route would run about 40 miles from Baltimore to Washington, D.C.
Estimated costs for either project are more than $3 billion, and planners don't envision either one being operational until about 2010.
Problems arise
Meanwhile, planners have had their hands full with problems that have arisen since the two regions were named finalists for the project in January 2001.
In the Pittsburgh area, for instance, Penn and Robinson townships are questioning the project, saying they weren't involved enough in planning. Residents in the communities say they don't want to lose their homes to the proposed line even if maglev planners argue they have tried to select the least disruptive route.
"There's a real good question whether it should be done at all," said David Shuman, a transportation consultant who conducted a study for officials in Penn Township who opposed the favored route.
Shuman said rail speeds have greatly increased since maglev technology first started being considered in the United States and that trains long in use in Japan and France can run at nearly 200 mph -- practically as fast as maglev would travel.
In Robinson Township, west of Pittsburgh, more than 100 people attended a public meeting last week, most of them opposing a route through the township.
Vukan R. Vuchic, a professor of transportation engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, said economic conditions and rider projections for maglev are too optimistic and thinks money for maglev would be better spent on current systems.