May 4, 2005 

Red Line Refinements to be Shown at June Public Meetings

In a series of public meetings scheduled for early June, MTA's Red Line team will present the results of a six-month refinement of alignments for the 10-mile Red Line corridor. Based on the public reaction to options presented last fall, feedback from five Community Working Groups, and an internal technical review, the number of alignments proposed for more detailed study has been winnowed to those the agency believes will be the most cost-effective to build as well as have the least impacts to natural resources and residential communities. The technical process included preparation of a complex evaluation matrix, although the values in the matrix are based more on the professional judgment of MTA's consultants than data from detailed cost or ridership estimates. More precise information will be developed over the next eight months for the remaining options. Generally, the eliminated alignments were those that were deemed too circuitous or that followed streets that would be too narrow to fit the transitway. Some difficult areas remain, including the connection between Security Boulevard and Edmondson Avenue at the western end of the corridor as well as options east of President Street through Fells Point. The remaining routes include both at-grade and tunnel options in the Cooks Lane area; through downtown; and along Eastern, Fleet, and Aliceanna streets in East Baltimore. Maps under development for the June meetings were presented this week to Community Working Groups, and will be available to the general public later this month.

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Administration Delivers Amtrak Reform Proposal to Congress; Amtrak Board Counters

Following the April 14 unveiling of the Bush administration's plan to reform Amtrak by separating it into three entities, the railroad's Board of Directors countered with a proposal that introduces the idea of competition but does not abolish the company. Calling Amtrak a "dying railroad," U.S. Department of Transportation Norman Mineta favors a concept that would turn tracks and tunnels owned by Amtrak over to a consortium of states that would work together to manage and improve them using a combination of local and federal funds. Amtrak would remain as purely an operating company that would compete with private companies to operate passenger services. In the long run, states that wanted to maintain money-losing long distance routes would have to subsidize their operation. In the heavily traveled Northeast Corridor operating subsidies would be minimal but after 2011 the states would be responsible for maintaining the tracks. The Amtrak Board's proposal keeps the ownership of tracks and operation of service together, but segregates the company into distinct "business lines" to facilitate eventual competition for service. Long distance services would be evaluated using performance measures, and states would have the option of kicking in cash if a service did not make the grade. BTA is working with a coalition of Northeast business organizations to compare the two proposals and press for a compromise that ensures a stable, efficient, and cost effective future for intercity rail.

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MTA Progress on Bus Maintenance Comes at a Cost

There has been a dramatic decrease in the rate of MTA bus breakdowns since the completion of a 2003 study documenting systemic flaws in the agency's maintenance practices, according to a recent MTA press release. The current breakdown rate is once every 5,305 miles compared to once every 976 miles two years ago. The press release gives credit to the manager of bus maintenance, Branco Vlacich, who was hired in early 2003, as well as implementation of a computerized maintenance tracking system. This achievement has come at a considerable cost, however. The agency is purchasing hundreds of new buses at a cost of more than $35 million between July 2004 and June 2005. The majority of those replaced were from the late 1980's and were well beyond their useful life. The budget for bus maintenance has increased dramatically as well, up $7.3 million from fiscal year 2005 to fiscal year 2006. This amount consumes nearly half MTA's entire budget increase of 4.1 percent.

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BTA Pursues Agenda with MTA, Ehrlich Administration

GBC President Don Fry and BTA Director Henry Kay are working on a variety of fronts to increase the attention paid to BTA priorities by the Ehrlich administration. First, in response to a letter from BTA, MDOT Secretary Robert Flanagan has agreed to travel with us to see bus tunnels in Boston and possibly Seattle. We are now working with his office on the details of that trip. Second, Don and Henry are scheduled to meet later this week on MTA's bus restructuring study with MTA Operations staff and next week with Secretary Flanagan and MTA Administrator Lisa Dickerson. After a year of data collection and public input MTA has prepared a "strawman" proposal and is seeking input before scheduling public hearings. The details of the proposal will be the subject of future meetings of the BTA Board of Advisors and Short Term Initiatives Committee. Third, we have written letters to Administrator Dickerson expressing our frustration that there has not been more progress toward implementing a signal priority system for Light Rail trains on Howard Street, and to Secretary Flanagan asking that he provide more specific direction to MTA to re-initiate planning work for the Baltimore-Washington Maglev study.

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