A public hearing on the DEIS will be conducted in Washington, DC on December 15, 2003 in Room 432 of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library. Information and staff will be available from 4:00 pm until 8:30 pm. The public hearing will begin at 5:00 pm.

Written comments on the DEIS will be accepted until January 30, 2004. Comments can be submitted to:

The proposed alignment for a new Maglev guideway would parallel the existing Amtrak alignment between Washington, DC and the BWI Airport. Of the three potential alignments considered, the Amtrak alignment had the least impact on residences and other "noise sensitive" places. (No residential properties within the District of Columbia would be acquired for Maglev construction.) The Amtrak alignment also had the least impact on parks and historical sites. The flat terrain along the Amtrak alignment would also help simplify construction.

The DEIS identifies three potential locations for an operations control and maintenance facility for this service. One of these locations is in the District of Columbia, immediately north of the Amtrak tracks and west of the South Dakota Avenue (along V Street, NE). The other two potential locations for this facility are in Baltimore. Such a facility could provide high-skilled technical jobs. DC will have to compete with Maryland for the location of this facility.

Earlier in the study process, there was deliberation about building a fourth Maglev station at the Washington Beltway. DDOT opposed this on the grounds that such a station would detract from the advantages associated with having the Maglev station downtown. DDOT was also concerned that a Beltway station would encourage more auto-oriented sprawl development in the suburbs. The proposal for this fourth Maglev station has been dropped from the DEIS and is not being considered at the present time.

For more information, see the Maglev website at www.bwmaglev.com or contact Rick Rybeck at (202) 671-2730.