MAGLEV Gets House Hearing

The Pennsylvania House Transportation Committee gathered in Pittsburgh last week to take testimony on a high speed MAGLEV project that has been in the works for nearly a decade. The project to connect the airport with Greensburg, including stops downtown and in Monroeville, was once green lighted by the federal government but was killed when a member of congress called for further review. This year’s federal budget contains $28 million for additional engineering and design studies. To draw down the money the state would have to come up with a $5.6 million match. State Representative Joseph Markosek of Monroeville is the chair of the House Transportation Committee. He says finding the money will be, “hard when the state does not have the money it needs to fix the roads and bridges it has.” However, he says the state funds will probably be found and the committee needs to know where the project stands. Markosek says testimony was given arguing that the project would not only provide a high-speed transportation link for area residents but could also serve as a model for similar projects elsewhere. He says if that happens, southwestern Pennsylvania could find itself at the center of a new industry. However, the construction of the track would require billions of dollars that the state does not have and no private investor seems to be willing to invest. Markosek says the committee reached out to those who are against the project but most decided to not respond. The Cato Institute did submit written testimony arguing against the project on environmental and cost grounds.