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- Baltimore has a 15-mile Metro Subway line and a 30-mile Light Rail line which opened in phases between 1983 and 1997. A project is now underway to add a second track to nine miles of the Light Rail line, but there are no extensions or new stations included in the project. On an average weekday Metro carries just under 50,000 riders, and Light Rail carries just under 30,000. Ridership has grown steadily since the initial segments were opened, with substantial jumps where the Metro was extended to Johns Hopkins Hospital in East Baltimore, and Light Rail was extended to Hunt Valley with spurs to Penn Station and BWI Airport. Ridership reached an all time high in 2001, and has since declined slightly since that time consistent with the state of the economy and national trends. Both lines have substantial additional capacity, particularly outside the peak commuting hours. While the two lines serve downtown employment and special events well, they lack a sense of a “system” and miss major travel corridors in the region.
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- Rail projects are extraordinarily expensive and disruptive, but bring gains in mobility, economic growth and quality of life into the distant future. Most of the urban rail systems in the United States were constructed before World War II, but starting in the 1970’s there has been a “renaissance” with major systems put in place in Washington, San Francisco, Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, and San Diego. Dozens of other regions, including Baltimore, have built one or two lines as well. Though well down from its peak in the 1970’s, federal funding for transit expansion remains robust, and we expect the next major transportation authorization bill covering 2004 to 2009 to increase the amount of discretionary funding over the last bill. To move its rail projects forward, the Baltimore region must quickly completed initial planning studies, and demonstrate whether or not the projects will fare well against other projects proposed nationally. If they do in fact fare well, planning should be complete by early 2008, to be following by engineering and construction beginning in 2010.
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The benefits of building a real transit system accrue to all of us, whether we use it or not. Here are some of the reasons we need more transit…
- Public transit reduces congestion and the need for expensive highway and parking construction. A full bus eliminates 60 cars; a full subway train takes away hundreds more. 30,000 passengers can be carried on a single subway line in one hour. 10 additional highway lanes would be needed if these riders drove instead.
- When public transit reduces travel time it lures new riders from their cars and improves the lives of current riders. Riding the new Green Line, a Morgan State University student could get downtown for an internship in 11 minutes. A Towson University student could make the trip on the new Yellow Line in 17 minutes.
- Increased access to downtown for daytime workers and nighttime fun seekers. Downtown Baltimore is home to the region’s largest concentration of jobs, restaurants, and tourist attractions. It’s also the most congested, and easier to enjoy without a car. Residents of the region already make good use of transit for special events like Orioles and Ravens games, and more transit would make the opportunities and sights of downtown accessible to even more people.
- Transit creates job opportunities for inner city residents and access to a bigger workforce for employers. Employers around the country are taking advantage of the expanded labor pool that public transportation gives them access to. Almost half of the nation’s Fortune 500 companies are headquartered in America’s transit-intensive metropolitan areas. Businesses whose employees use transit experience more employee reliability and less absenteeism and turnover.
- Transit use can address Baltimore’s stubborn air pollution problems. To a large degree our dirty air is caused by vehicle emissions. Every summer, high smog levels cause some 159,000 trips to the emergency room, 53,000 hospital admissions and 6 million asthma attacks. Baltimore averaged 11 Code Red ozone days during the 1990’s.
- Transit saves energy. A bus with as few as seven passengers is more fuel efficient than the average car with one occupant used for commuting. The fuel efficiency of a fully occupied rail car is 15 times greater than that of the typical commuter’s automobile.
- Transit provides superior access to places that are priorities for development in local land use plans. Baltimore’s West Side Initiative, the largest redevelopment effort by the city since the Inner Harbor, is added by the significant concentration of transit services. Many residents of the new apartments don’t own cars, and either walk or take transit for work and recreation
- Transit improves mobility for seniors and young adults. By 2020, 40% of the U.S. population will be senior citizens; many will be unable to drive. In fact, one-fourth of today’s 75+ age group does not drive. Public transportation is a lifeline for seniors, linking them with family, friends, and medical services.
- Transit option makes our region more attractive for entrepreneurs, empty nesters and college students. Baltimore’s Collegetown Network www.baltimorecollegetown.org, which seeks to retain in the region a larger share of the 10,000 people who graduate from our colleges and universities each year, has identified public transit options as a critical component in the decision to stay or settle elsewhere.
- Investments in transit construction and operation creates jobs. An investment in public transportation translates into significant increases in business revenues and profits. Every $10 million invested in transit capital projects yields $30 million in business sales, and the same investment in transit operations generates $32 million.
- Public transportation use lowers household expenses and frees up more income for other needs. Americans living in transit-intensive metropolitan areas save $22 billion annually in transportation costs.
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- “Heavy” and “light” rail are terms used in the transit industry to differentiate between the two principle rail transit technologies in use in the United States, including the Baltimore region. The terms refer to the rail infrastructure used by each, not the size or weight of the rail cars. Heavy rail trains draw power for their electric traction motors from a “third rail” that runs alongside the two rail the train sits on. The train remains in contact with the third rail with a paddle that extends from the underside of the train. Because the third rail is always electrified, the tracks must be separated from riders or auto traffic by placing it behind a secure fence, or locating it above the street on an aerial structure or below ground in a subway tunnel.
- Light rail, on other hand, draws its power from a network of overhead wires that are suspended from poles alongside the track. Light rail is the direct descendent of the streetcars that were common in the U.S. until the 1960’s when they were largely replaced by diesel buses. Because the wires are out of the way, pedestrians and autos can cross the tracks. Light rail trains can also be placed on aerial structures or in tunnels if there is a need to separate them from traffic.
- Both technologies allow trains to quickly reach maximum speeds of 50-60 MPH, and to accelerate and decelerate smoothly and safely. The ability of each to navigate grades and curves depends on the size of the vehicle and the design of the tracks, but neither is as flexible as streetcars from an earlier era.
- In settings where the tracks can be placed at-grade, light rail has a significant cost advantage. If the tracks must be placed above or below grade due to local conditions, the difference in cost diminishes and is negligible for tunnel construction.
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- The costs MTA used to prepare the Baltimore Region Rail System Plan were as follows:
- Tunnel $250 million/mile
- Aerial $100 million/mile
- At-grade $50 million/mile
- In 2002 dollars, the total cost to build the 66 mile plan would be about $12 billion. The priority projects under study now would add up to about $2.2 billion, although this is subject to refinement as MTA continues its studies.
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- The federal government has traditionally paid a significant share of highway and transit costs. Overwhelming demand for transit funding has reduced the federal share from about 80% when MTA built the Metro Subway to about 50% today.
- The balance of the funding would have to come from State and local governments. The probable source of the State share is the Transportation Trust Fund which is supported by taxes on gasoline and corporate earnings, as well as operating revenue from transportation agencies such as transit fares and docking fees at the Port of Baltimore. Since all funding in the Trust Fund is committed to current projects, funding for new projects is only possible if current projects are reduced or eliminated, or revenue is increased. Local governments in the Baltimore region do not currently have a source of funding for transit, but some consideration will be given to that issue as the studies more ahead.
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- Federal transportation funding is established in multi-year bills. The current law, called the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) expired in October, 2003 but has been extended through a series of continuing resolutions. TEA-21 provided funding for new transit projects through a program called New Starts. Most of the proposals on the table to re-authorize TEA-21 increase the New Starts program, although there are many more projects seeking funding than there is funding for.
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- The best projects are selected for funding through the application of criteria that establish a project’s benefits relative to other projects. The rating system is dividing in two principal parts: local financial commitment and project justification.
- For Local Financial Commitment, TEA-21 requires that New Starts project sponsors demonstrate adequate local support for the project, as measured by:
- The proposed share of total project costs from sources other than from the New Starts program;
- The strength of the proposed project’s capital financing plan; and
- The sponsor’s ability to fund operation and maintenance of the project once it is built.
- Project Justification falls into a number of categories, including:
- Mobility improvements, defined as travel time savings and low income households served;
- Environmental benefits, defined as changes in pollutant and “greenhouse gases” emissions and regional energy consumption;
- Operating efficiencies, defined as change in the operating cost per mile;
- Cost effectiveness, defined as ratio of travel time savings for all users to project capital and operating cost, and
- Transit-supportive land use patterns, policies and programs at the local level.
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- The Red and Green Line studies are being managed by the Maryland Transit Administration’s Office of Planning. The MTA can be contacted by calling 410-767-3754 or by sending an email to redline@mtamaryland.com.
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- Project planning and documentation of environmental impacts is underway for the Red Line and the Green Line. The Red Line schedule is ahead of the Green Line. MTA held a round of public meetings in Spring, 2003 to solicit comments on the scope of the studies. The technical work to define the study alternatives is underway now, and will include additional public meetings in Fall, 2004. By April, 2005 MTA to select alternatives for detailed study (April, 2006 for the Green Line). This phase will conclude with public hearings in January, 2007 for the Red Line (January, 2008 for the Green Line).
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- The BTA is a diverse group of businesses, civic and environmental organizations, and foundations. We share an interest in the economic and social health of the Baltimore Region. We want a real transit system for the Baltimore Region--a system that gets us to our most important population, employments and cultural centers; connects together in safe, convenient and easily understood way; provides a real alternative to driving for all our residents; is reliable, fast, clean and doesn’t pollute our air.
- We advocate a regional approach to planning and implementation of rapid transit projects, including the committed involvement of the region’s local jurisdictions and elected officials; proactive station area planning; and participation in the preparation of project financing plans.
- We support expedited development of the Baltimore Region Rail System Plan. Baltimore needs a more extensive rail system now, and we support beginning construction on the Red Line by 2010 to be followed shortly thereafter by construction of an extension of the Green line.
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- Both options are being studied, and it’s likely the selected option will be a combination of both.
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- Yes, studies are underway to expand transit systems in many regions around the country.
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- You can get involved by contacted the MTA and asking to be added to the project mailing list; carefully monitoring the planning process to be sure you don’t miss opportunities to offer your support for the project; commenting on alternatives to be sure the MTA knows you views; and sharing your views with your elected officials.
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