Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan took a ride Thursday on a magnetically levitated train test line in central Japan in a show of the U.S. state's strong interest in the Japanese technology for a planned high-speed train link in the Northeastern United States.
The test ride came as operator Central Japan Railway Co. (JR. Tokai) along with the Japanese government aims to introduce the technology for the project's roughly 60-km section linking Washington with Baltimore in Maryland.
While saying he was impressed by the maximum speed of over 500 kph during the ride in Yamanashi Prefecture, Hogan expressed hope for support from the Japanese government and private sector for the massive construction costs of the project.
In Japan, the railway plans to launch the maglev train service in 2027 between Tokyo and Nagoya and extend it to Osaka in 2045.