Planned state transportation spending through FY 2008 for major projects in Montgomery and Prince George's counties is more than four times the amount of state spending planned for major transportation projects in the entire Baltimore region, according to GBC research.

These calculations, gleaned by the GBC from an examination of Maryland's Consolidated Transportation Program, are a central element of recent efforts by GBC President Don Fry to gain support from the governor, the region's elected leaders, and state lawmakers for implementing the newly crafted Baltimore Region Rail System Plan.

The plan, unveiled last fall by a blue-ribbon MTA advisory panel on which GBC President Don Fry served, would add more than 65 miles of rail transportation in the Baltimore region to create a 121-mile rail transit network.

Mayor O'Malley and the executives from Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard and Harford counties sent a letter on February 5 to Governor Robert Ehrlich and top administration officials urging them to make the Baltimore Region Rail System Plan a priority.

Fry and rail advocates are seeking to have the regional rail plan included in a list of state transportation priorities for funding designation by Congress, which is expected to re-authorize a six-year federal transportation funding plan this fall.

The traditional absence of vocal, cohesive advocacy for a more developed rail system is a key reason why the Baltimore region has lagged behind the D.C. suburbs in rail improvements, says Fry.

The current Baltimore Region Rail System Plan is the first comprehensive effort in nearly 40 years to plan a rail system for the entire Baltimore region, he adds. Early priorities in the plan would be to fund the east-west Red Line between Social Security and Fells Point and extend the existing green line from Johns Hopkins Medical Campus to Morgan State University.

For more information on the regional rail plan, click on: www.baltimorerailplan.com.