Maglev
The world's first commercial maglev system was a low-speed maglev shuttle that ran between the airport terminal of Birmingham International Airport and the nearby Birmingham International railway station between 1984 and 1995. Its track length was , and trains levitated at an altitude of , levitated by electromagnets, and propelled with linear induction motors. It operated for 11 years and was initially very popular with passengers, but obsolescence problems with the electronic systems made it progressively unreliable as years passed, leading to its closure in 1995. One of the original cars is now on display at Railworld in Peterborough, together with the RTV31 hover train vehicle. Another is on display at the National Railway Museum in York.
California–Nevada Interstate Maglev
The maglev project's cost has recently been estimated to be around $12 billion. In June 2010 it lost key support from Senator Harry Reid, who then stated support for the privately financed Desert Xpress project. The availability of these funds for the Maglev project were withdrawn at the direction of Reid by language contained the Federal "Jobs Bill" passed in March 2010. In a press release, the Senator claimed the Maglev Commission had failed to raise the required matching funds of 20%; a claim subsequently disputed by American Magline Group President Neil Cummings, who reported raising $10 million. Reid then noted that commission had "failed to complete an environmental impact statement", the value of which was counted as part of the "$10 million" in matching funds claimed to have been raised by the Magline Group, despite the statement being unfinished. The project's technology also remains controversial among rail enthusiasts since it is untried in the United States.