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February 3, 2005
BTA Convenes Yellow Line Stakeholders to Refine Proposal BTA recently re-convened representatives of institutions and communities in the Yellow Line corridor to refine concepts developed last fall for a short-term bus restructuring initiative. The Yellow Line corridor extends from downtown to Towson along York Road and Charles Street, and, as envisioned, replaces the existing bus services with streamlined, high quality "bus rapid transit." The proposal also includes a neighborhood shuttle for Charles Street to both replace service that would be shifted elsewhere as well as better serve local trips within Mt. Vernon and Charles Village. The next step for BTA is to prepare a written description of the proposal that can be shared with MTA and additional community representatives.
Second Round of Red Line Community Working Group Meetings Underway As part of its Red Line community outreach initiatives, MTA has convened five "community working groups" along the 10-mile corridor. The working groups include representatives of community associations and other organizations, and are intended to provide more focused feedback to the Red Line team as they develop and refine project alternatives. The first meetings, held late last year, provided a general orientation to the project and its timelines. The second meetings are focused on station locations, features, and access, as well as unique environmental resources to consider. BTA supported the creation of the working groups and is participating in the group covering the downtown area.
Transit Issues Included in GBC Legislative Priorities The Greater Baltimore Committee's priorities for the 2005 General Assembly session include support for aggressive implementation of the Baltimore Region Rail System Plan, short term restructuring of the region's bus services, and completion of planning studies for the Baltimore-Washington Maglev Project. GBC is also supporting several Administration bills that affect transit, including SB 158 which would permit bus shelters with advertising along state highways and SB 130 which would allow MTA to enter private property to gather data in support of environmental studies. For the complete GBC legislative agenda, click here.
Deferred Maintenance; Communication Glitches Frustrate Rail Riders in Baltimore and Washington Rail transit systems, particularly those with complex aerial and tunnel structures and automatic train control, require continuing investments as they age. When maintenance is deferred, reliability suffers. The Sun recently reported on growing frustration about overcrowding and breakdowns on the Washington, D.C. Metrorail system which is now more than 30 years old. This is attributed to chronic underfunding of maintenance, although commitments are in place to address some of the needs. (To see the article, click here.) Baltimore Metro Subway riders got a taste of this earlier this week when a fiber optic cable linking MTA's control center with a portion of the line failed and service was suspended for the morning rush hour. Over the next six years an average of $28 million per year is budgeted to maintain the 15-mile line which was completed in phases between 1983 and 1995. The single largest expenditure is $100 million to rehabilitate the 100 rail cars that make up the fleet. Heavy rail cars have an expected life of 50 years but must receive a substantial overhaul during that time to remain reliable, safe, and comfortable.
Governor Announces Intent to Replace Mondawmin Shuttle Buses Governor Ehrlich traveled to the Mondawmin community recently to announce MTA's intent to buy three new buses for the Mondawmin Shuttle. The shuttle route connects neighborhoods in West Baltimore to the Mondawmin Metro station. Due to the community orientation of the route MTA uses buses that are smaller than those used on regional lines. MTA purchased special buses for the route when it was initiated in 2001, but these were prematurely retired when they proved difficult to maintain. The route is currently operated with buses originally placed in the service in the mid-1980's and are overdue for retirement. In the press release announcing the event the Governor recognized local delegates who voted for his transportation revenue increase.
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