|
|
||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|
|||||||||
 |
 |
||||
|
August 19, 2004
BTA Board of Advisors Meeting Scheduled for September 29, 2004 As previously announced, the BTA Board of Advisors will meet September 29, 2004 from 8 to 10 AM at GBC's offices, 111 S. Calvert Street. Board members will receive an agenda in mid-September.
GBC's Fry Addresses Importance of Rail Studies to Budget Committees; Transportation Secretary In an August 4 presentation to House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Sheila E. Hixson and 13 committee members GBC President Donald C. Fry stressed the importance of on-going rail studies. He reviewed the reasons why the region needs an expanded transit system, including growing congestion, persistently poor air quality, regional jobs access, and ensuring the long term competitiveness and health of Downtown Baltimore. He made a similar presentation to the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee last month. The committee briefings at the GBC were part of day-long visits to Baltimore. Fry is also scheduled to meet with Transportation Secretary Robert Flanagan at the end of the month. For more information, click here.
Legislative Leaders Urge Funding for Rail Studies In recent letters to Transportation Secretary Robert Flanagan, Senator Nathaniel McFadden and Delegate Maggie McIntosh reiterated their support for on-going rail studies as well as their expectations for project funding. Both legislators told the Secretary their support for Governor Ehrlich's transportation revenue bill was predicated on his promise of additional funding for the planning and engineering phases of the Red and Green line projects.
GBC, BMC to Sponsor Regional Transportation Summit GBC and the Baltimore Metropolitan Council will host a regional transportation summit on September 22, 2004 at the World Trade Center. Titled "Infrastructure Investment, Financing and Security Challenges and Regional Priorities," the summit will offer a briefing by federal, state, and local officials as well as business leaders on the current state of transportation investments in the Baltimore region.
MARC Plagued by Summer of Service Interruptions MTA's MARC Train service has been plagued by delays and train cancellations over the summer. An analysis by BTA shows that at least one train has been affected nearly 50% of the days since the beginning of May. MTA operates three MARC lines, two between Baltimore and Washington and one from West Virginia to Washington. MTA owns the locomotives and passenger coaches while Amtrak and CSX Transportation provide the tracks and personnel to operate and maintain the trains. The problems are due primarily to equipment failures and weather, sometimes in combination. For example, CSX's Camden and Brunswick lines are placed under "heat orders" when the temperature rises above 90 degrees. Under this condition railroad inspectors walk the track to look for "sun kinks" and trains are restricted to 20 MPH below their normal speed. Other service disruptions are due to broken down locomotives, signal outages, or storm-induced flooding and fallen trees. MTA is working to overhaul aging equipment and improve tracks and signals in cooperation with the railroads but lacks sufficient capital funding to address the backlog of needs. For daily service updates for MARC and other MTA services, click here.
|
|||||
 |
||
 |
||