PITTSBURGH — The federal government on Thursday awarded $28 million for a high-speed magnetic rail project that would ultimately link Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

Maglev technology uses magnetic forces to propel a vehicle over a guideway at up to 250 mph. The project would be the first in the country, Sen. Arlen Specter, a longtime backer of the project said. Japan and Shanghai, China, have the trains.

The Federal Railroad Administration grant will pay for pre-engineering work, financial estimates, an independent cost-analysis and other work. It was awarded to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, which would contract with Maglev, a McKeesport public-private organization leading the project.

The money more than doubles the amount of the federal funding the project has gotten since 1999, Sen. Bob Casey said.

Thursday's award shows the U.S. Department of Transportation recognizes the project's value, Specter said.

The project would start with a segment linking the Pittsburgh International Airport, about 15 miles west of the city, to Pittsburgh and through the suburbs to Greensburg, about 25 miles east. Several years ago, that project was estimated to cost $3.75 billion; Specter could not estimate the entire project's cost.

He also said it was too soon to say when construction might begin.

"This is a vision for the future," he said.