• General Overview
• Benefits to the Region
• Project Funding
• Proposed Operating Schedule
• Stations
• Ridership
• Design Criteria
• View the environmentally preferred build alternative
• General Alignment Screening Criteria
• Detailed Alignment Screening Criteria and Statistics (4.5 mb)
• Map of all Alignments studied to date
• Public and community meetings held to date
• Project Team and Responsibilities

• The Pennsylvania High-speed Maglev Project (PA Project) is a proposed 54-mile high-speed maglev system would operate between the Pittsburgh International Airport, Downtown Pittsburgh, Monroeville and Greensburg in approximately 35 minutes at speeds that would reach 240 miles per hour.
• Cost $3.7 billion to construct (cost is in 2003 dollars)
• Final costs will include associated infrastructure, such as roads, intermodal connections and access ramps
• Ridership - Approximately 47,400 with all sections operational between Pittsburgh International Airport and Greensburg in 2014
• The PA Project is estimated to generate up to 10,000 temporary construction jobs in the region and 1,200 permanent jobs. These estimates do not include spin-off jobs from enhanced tourism and an enhanced business climate in southwestern Pennsylvania. Many of these will be manufacturing and fabrication jobs, related to an anticipated need for 200,000 pounds of US produced plate steel is required to build the guideway.
• A vehicle has a 400+ passenger capacity
• Estimated cost to travel between stations is $5.00, including parking
• The system is not affected by adverse weather conditions
• The project team consisted of two public sector organizations, PennDOT and Port Authority, which were responsible for the DEIS. The DEIS was prepared by these two agencies in cooperation with the Federal Railroad Administration and a team of consultants from the Maguire Group, Inc., Skelly and Loy, and McCormick Taylor (MSM Group). MAGLEV, Inc., a Pittsburg-based private-for-profit company, was also part of the study team.

• High-speed connections between the Pittsburgh International Airport, Downtown Pittsburgh, Monroeville and Greensburg;
• An additional regional transportation option to the Pittsburgh International Airport and Downtown Pittsburgh;
• A reduction in overall highway traffic congestion on major roadways;
• Travel time savings;
• Economic growth opportunities for existing businesses, new industry start-ups, real estate investments and potential land development;
• Improvements in air quality with a reduction of vehicle emissions;
• Potential of attracting new businesses, national conventions and tourism, as well as improving the viability of the region; and
• Possible future extension opportunities to Cleveland, Harrisburg, Philadelphia and destinations in West Virginia and in the Northeast Corridor.

The project is administered by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) under federal legislation called the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). Among other national transportation initiatives, the legislation calls for the deployment of a high-speed maglev system as a future means of transportation technology. The FRA requires that the system operate safely at speeds in excess of 240 mph. Additionally, the project must contain 70% American-made materials or fabrication.

Over the past few years, there have been changes in federal funding and regulations pertaining to the High-speed Maglev Transportation Technology Deployment Program, a federal program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation to initiate the construction of the first high-speed maglev system in the U.S.

The PA Project and a high-speed maglev project connecting Baltimore, MD to Washington, D.C. were the two projects selected out of several others in 2001 to move forward into environmental analysis. Initially, one of these projects was to move forward into construction and become the first maglev project in the country.

Under the current federal transportation bill called SAFETY-LU, there is approximately $90 million in federal funding allocated for high-speed maglev projects. In addition to the PA Project and the Baltimore-Washington Project, a project proposing to connect Primm, Nevada to Las Vegas received federal funding to complete an environmental investigation of the alignments under consideration.

The current legislation proposes a split of the $90 million to the Primm to Las Vegas project and an eligible project located east of the Mississippi River, suggesting perhaps two maglev projects, one on each side of the country, could ultimately move forward into construction. Further progress on all eligible maglev projects is in the hands of federal transportation agencies and contingent upon future funding availability.

The proposed maglev system could operate approximately 18 hours on weekdays, with reduced service on weekends and holidays. Vehicles could run approximately every 8.5 minutes during peak hours between the Pittsburgh International Airport and Monroeville. Operation would be every 10 to 15 minutes during off peak hours. Travel between Monroeville and Greensburg would be one vehicle every 22.5 minutes during peak operation and approximately every 30 minutes during non-peak operation. Each car is capable of holding approximately 140 passengers. For one trip, three to five vehicles could be linked together to operate along the system. The projected cost of riding the system could be approximately $5.00 between each station.

The project would connect Pittsburgh International Airport to Downtown Pittsburgh, Monroeville and Greensburg and would include five station locations. The station locations include: Two stations at the airport area (One at the Landside Terminal and one at Enlow Road (Route 60) that includes a separate station for commuters as well as air travelers); the Steel Plaza station located in downtown Pittsburgh; the Thompson Run site in Penn Hills near Monroeville; and a station at Toll 66 and PA Route 136 near Greensburg. Stations would be accessible to people with disabilities, feature adjacent parking areas and have convenient connections to other modes of transportation.

• Approximately 47,400 with all sections operational between Pittsburgh International Airport and Greensburg in 2014


• Approximately 54,900 with all sections operational between Pittsburgh International Airport and Greensburg in 2026

The project team used the design criteria below for establishing the environmentally preferred alignment:

• Passenger safety and comfort
• The TEA-21 criterion speed of 240 mph.
• An elevated guideway for safety that is a minimum of 16.6 feet above roadways and 23 feet above railroads
• Curve requirements that are compatible with the speed
• Following existing or planned transportation corridors.
• Station locations that allow for a level guideway.

This design criteria poses the following challenges:

• Existing transportation corridors are designed for speeds of 60-70 mph. The average speed of the Maglev system is 110 mph. Therefore it is not always possible to follow existing transportation corridors.
• To meet the passenger safety and comfort needs, larger curve radii must be applied to the guideway.

Eleven alternative alignments were considered in the preliminary alternatives analysis of the project. The EIS study team applied the following screening criteria to the preliminary alternatives before alignments were advanced to detailed study:

• Length of alternative alignment
• Engineering design criteria
• Operational considerations
• Environmental features and associated impacts
• Public and agency input

The PA High-speed Maglev Project’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) has been completed by the Port Authority of Allegheny County and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation utilizing the services of the MSM consulting group that includes Maguire Group, Skelly & Loy and McCormick Taylor. As part of the EIS, the following points were considered.

• The EIS was conducted in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (1969) regulations.
• Study work included: the environmental impact statement; preliminary engineering; ridership and revenue refinement studies; partnering agreements and transfer; petition for rule of particular applicability; and construction erection planning.