President Trump’s infrastructure plan, unveiled on February 12, would direct $20 billion toward a new “Transformative Projects Program” for “ambitious, exploratory, and ground-breaking project ideas that have significantly more risk than standard infrastructure projects.”
One of the first such innovations that could be funded through the program, according to Undersecretary of Transportation Derek Kan, is the Hyperloop system, a project of SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk. The concept envisions a network of low-pressure tubes that carry passengers and cargo between cities in hovering capsules, reducing travel time from hours to minutes.
Maryland transportation officials have already granted authority for a 10-mile tunnel under the Baltimore–Washington Parkway as the first leg of what could contain a Hyperloop system. Some in Congress have urged caution, however. On March 28, members of the Maryland delegation, along with District of Columbia Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), sent a letter to Maryland Governor Larry Hogan (R) requesting more information. The Members wrote:
“While the Hyperloop is an exciting project that has the potential to transform transportation along the entire U.S. East Coast, it is also a project that would utilize a wholly new technology and could have significant impacts on our constituents. As we assess the project and the numerous competing plans for the Baltimore–Washington corridor, we seek additional information that will enable us to understand how the proposed Hyperloop would be regulated, as well as the opportunities our constituents will have to provide comments and feedback on the project.”
For background, see the September 2012 issue of Congressional Digest on “Transportation Infrastructure Investment” and the April 2011 issue of Congressional Digest on “High-Speed Rail.”
