Underground Maglev Networks in the U.S.? A Coyote-7 Engineer’s Perspective

November 16, 2025 – Coyote 7 Mission Control HQ, Vandenberg Space Force Base

Greetings from Coyote 7. This is Roosevelt Broyles, Chief Engineer on the Coyote-7 mission, currently overseeing the calibration of propulsion and systems integration as prepare for our mission to Mars. I’ve been asked to weigh in on a persistent Earth-bound rumor: a secret, high-speed magnetic levitation (maglev) train network beneath the United States. While my expertise lies in interplanetary propulsion, the principles of electromagnetic acceleration, vacuum dynamics, and high-velocity transport are not far removed from the challenges we face in space travel. So let’s examine this idea with clarity and curiosity—without dismissing it outright, and without jumping to conclusions.

How Maglev Technology Works

Magnetic levitation isn’t science fiction—it’s proven engineering. A maglev train eliminates wheels and friction by suspending the vehicle above a guideway using powerful magnetic fields.

• Levitation:  

  • Electrodynamic Suspension (EDS) uses superconducting magnets cooled by liquid helium to –269°C, creating repulsion with induced currents in the track.

  • Electromagnetic Suspension (EMS) uses electromagnets to attract the train to an iron rail, maintaining a precise 1–10 cm gap via real-time control systems.

• Propulsion:

  Linear synchronous motors (LSMs) embedded in the guideway generate traveling magnetic waves that pull the train forward—like unrolling an electric motor along the track. No moving parts in the vehicle itself.

• Vacuum Enhancement (Vactrain Concept):

  
  

  In a near-vacuum tube, air resistance drops to near zero. Combined with maglev, this enables theoretical speeds of 4,000–14,000 mph. At those velocities, travel from New York to Los Angeles could take under 30 minutes.

Operational examples include:

• Japan’s SCMaglev (L0 Series): 375 mph record, using EDS and superconducting coils.

• Shanghai Maglev: 267 mph commercial service since 2004.

These systems are efficient, quiet, and safe—but expensive and infrastructure-intensive.

Historical Proposals for High-Speed Underground Transit

The idea of ultra-fast underground maglev isn’t new. Several serious studies emerged during the Cold War and beyond:

1. RAND Corporation – Robert M. Salter (1972)

   
   

   In “The Very High Speed Transit System”, Salter proposed a Planetran network: evacuated tubes with maglev vehicles traveling at up to 14,000 mph.

   • Coast-to-coast in ~21 minutes.

   • Tunnels 100–300 feet deep, electromagnetically launched “gondolas.”

   • Estimated cost: $1 trillion (1970s dollars).

     
     

     Though never funded, the paper was commissioned by the U.S. Department of Transportation and influenced later hyperloop concepts.

2. U.S. Army Nuclear Subterrene Program (1960s–1970s)

   
   

   Los Alamos National Laboratory tested nuclear-powered tunnel melters—devices that vitrify rock into glass-lined tunnels at rates far exceeding conventional boring.

   • Declassified patents describe machines advancing several feet per hour.

   • Scaled versions could theoretically enable rapid, deep tunneling.

3. Deep Underground Military Bases (DUMBs)

   
   

   Public records confirm facilities like Cheyenne Mountain and Raven Rock include short internal rail systems. Rumors extend these into a national network, often citing:

   • Unexplained seismic anomalies.

   • Large, unaccounted-for budget line items in defense appropriations.

   • Whistleblower claims (e.g., Phil Schneider, 1990s) of high-speed transit between classified sites.

None of these have been verified independently.

The Engineering RealitiesBuilding a transcontinental vactrain would require:

• Tens of thousands of miles of vacuum-sealed, seismically stable tunnels.

• Gigawatt-scale power for acceleration and vacuum maintenance.

• Advanced thermal management to prevent superconducting quench.

• Precision curvature to keep g-forces below 1.5g at hypersonic speeds.

We can do all of this—today. Japan, China, and private ventures like Virgin Hyperloop have demonstrated components. The question is scale, secrecy, and intent.

My Position as Coyote-7 Chief EngineerFrom a systems perspective, the technology is feasible. The infrastructure? Monumental. The secrecy? Unprecedented—but not impossible in compartmentalized programs. As for whether such a network exists beneath the United States… I may know more than I’m at liberty to say.  But until declassification—or a very convincing leak—reaches the public domain, the truth remains inconclusive. Keep looking up. And maybe, occasionally, down.

Roosevelt Broyles

Chief Engineer, Coyote-7 Mission to Mars

X: @coyote7tomars