As magnetic levitation, or maglev technology, continues to gain traction in Japan, Reuters reported that construction on a new Amtrak rail linking Baltimore, M.D., to Washington, D.C. According to the source, the journey, which takes 45 minutes to complete with traditional locomotive technologies, will be reduced to 15 minutes with this new solution.

Although funding on the project is estimated to be close to $8 million, the Japanese government has offered to pay for half of the project in an effort to build awareness for the technology. The source reported that the aerodynamic vehicle can reach up to 310 mph, and strong magnets, with much more power than the average cube magnets and disc magnets, hold the carriage above the ground within a guide way.

According to The Asahi Shimbun, maglev technology has the potential to drastically reduce the amount of time it takes to travel between New York City and Washington, D.C., from 1 hour and 40 minutes with traditional means of transportation to under 1 hour. Though the technology is not yet capable of being mass produced, individuals who participated in tests involving maglev technology said it was "like flying on an airplane," reported the source.