A maglev trainline running from Boston to New York to Washington, DC...
...would service and create a massive market of passengers. By providing a service cheaper than flight in almost the same time maglev trains could replace all short flights, safely using less fuel and providing more rapid boarding and departure. By providing tickets at less than the cost of a tank of gas regional travel can be accomplished cheaply and comfortably in a fraction of the time required for driving or bussing.
...could replace much freight shipping, without relying on expensive and dirty fuels. Eventual cross country maglev lines could quickly connect port cities and production centers to distributors.
...could cause zero pollution if the track were electrified using solar produced hyodrogen electricity, reducing America's pollution level by increasing clean transit and transit options.
By providing a fast line between Boston and Washington, numerous short and new or existing subway lines can become better used and more cost effective. Numerous metro and non-metro stops can become key and help spread green urban and suburban development and reduce the worst areas of urban traffic by providing a speedier commuting option and better distance travel alternative.
Research
It has been shown that train momentum of 300mph can be cheaply sustained by electromagnetic resistance alone. Increases in efficiency can be produced by using lightweight materials and by providing momentum assistance when stopping and starting.
When approaching and leaving a station, train-initiated traction and braking along a pair of friction rods located near the upper corners of the train body can help originate momentum in the levitating train, reducing electrical requirements. The switch will be made when the kinetic output of electromagnetic resistance would be greater than the kinetic output of an electric motor turning a pair of rough wheels on the station's traction rods.
While the station must be prepared to magnetically assist a train in stopping, the train can make use of brakes applied to similar traction rods when approaching a station. These measures could reduce the amount of electricity required to build and remove momentum in the train by medium.
