Maglev trains are a very cool technology, but far from simple. Every inch of the tracks have to be fitted with electromagnets and power lines which need to be powered and responsive all the time. The US generally won't even put up the funding to build ordinary passenger trains, at least in most places.

The United States lacks maglev trains in 2026 due to a combination of prohibitive costs, environmental regulatory hurdles, and political shifts. Maglev technology requires entirely new, specialized "guideway" infrastructure that cannot share existing tracks with traditional trains, leading to astronomical construction estimates often exceeding $100 million per mile. In late 2025, the U.S. Federal Railroad Administration officially canceled over $26 million in funding for the high-profile Baltimore-Washington SCMAGLEV project, citing nearly a decade of poor planning and community opposition. Furthermore, the U.S. has historically prioritized automotive and aviation infrastructure, leaving high-speed rail to compete for limited public funding. While countries like Japan and China have state-backed "national" projects, U.S. rail initiatives often stall in the "environmental review" phase, which in 2026 can take upwards of four to five years before a single mile of track is even laid.