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Maryland delegate seeks to bar maglev rail from eminent‑domain powers; project backers, unions clash
Summary
Delegate Ann Healey introduced legislation to clarify that magnetic‑levitation rail companies may not use railroad condemnation authority, prompting sharp testimony both for and against the measure during a lengthy committee hearing.
Delegate Ann Healy told the House Environment and Transportation Committee on Jan. 30 that House Bill 48 would prevent any company operating a magnetic‑levitation (maglev) propulsion system from exercising railroad condemnation authority, including eminent domain powers historically granted to railroads.
Healy said the change is intended to protect homeowners along potential alignments and to draw a bright legal line between 19th‑century railroad powers and modern maglev technology. Supporters of the maglev project, unions and industry groups argued the bill would derail a major economic and infrastructure opportunity for Maryland.
"The bill specifies that the general authority given to a railroad company does not apply to a company that's powered by a magnetic levitation propulsion system," Healy said. She recounted the long history of maglev proposals along the…
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