Japan ambassador to the U.S. Kenichiro Sasae has pledged $2 million to help fund studies on the feasibility of a bullet train between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., reported The Baltimore Sun. Already, $28 million in federal grants have been secured.
This Wednesday, Maryland also became the third U.S. state to sign a trade agreement with Japan, covering liquified natural gas, life sciences, trade and investment, and academics.
In 2015, Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that he was willing to spend $5 billion to build the 40-mile train. The project connecting the two cities could cost up to $10 billion, according to The Baltimore Sun.
Last year, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan visited Japan to learn more about the bullet train, otherwise known as the Shinkansen. The train doesn’t require a driver and is capable of traveling more than 600 kilometers per hour. In comparison, the fastest U.S. train has only reached 240 kilometers per hour.
A trip from Baltimore to Washington, D.C would only take 15 minutes with the bullet train.