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In 1988 Senator Moynihan proposed the introduction of a bill to fund Maglev R&D as part of his subcommittee on Infrastructure of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. The experts that testified at this hearing formed a committee that prepared a report (the Maglev Technology Advisory Committee - MTAC report) that was published in 1990. The publication of the MTAC report was the first corporate commitment that the Grumman Corporation made to Maglev. Over the next four years, the goal of making a viable Maglev system was pursued by Grumman. This commitment was not matched by the Federal government. Despite the passage of a Maglev prototype development authorization (as part of the ISTEA bill) by the Congress in 1991, no money was ever appropriated for this project. As a consequence of the lack of commitment of federal funding, Grumman (now Northrop Grumman) was forced to stop working on Maglev.

Consider the prospect of traveling between Washington D.C. and New York City at 300 miles per hour with no weather and traffic related congestion delays. Add to this the possibility that the trip would start close to your home town and take you directly to the heart of Washington. If this isn't enough, you never leave the ground, you don't stop - except at the Washington terminus, and the vehicle you ride in is quiet, efficient, comfortable, and doesn't pollute the air along the right-of-way. Does this sound like science fiction - well it isn't. Maglev, or magnetically levitated vehicles can do all of this and more, and they are definitely not science fiction! This paper will discuss the reasons that the United States should embark on a program to develop a Maglev concept.