Lets Get to Work initiative pushes for expanded MARC service, improved schedule
BALTIMORE – The Central Maryland region suffers from years of inadequate investment in transportation infrastructure – especially when compared to other major urban centers and the facts are daunting. In the past fifteen years, regions across the US including San Diego, Salt Lake City, Denver, Dallas, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Charlotte and Norfolk have all invested hundreds of millions of dollars to build out rail systems that connect people to jobs. The Baltimore region extended the light rail to Hunt Valley and BWI Airport in 1997, but has not significantly expanded its rail system since.
The Central Maryland Transportation Alliance has announced Lets Get to Work – an initiative to expand and improve MARC rail service throughout Maryland. This initiative ensures that there is access to employment that supports the states significant job growth due to BRAC and other growth industries, as well as opens up opportunities for job-ready residents,
Unfortunately, the lack of progress in expanding and improving our infrastructure, both roadway and rail, has coincided with the regions economic development and job growth over the past decade, said Transportation Alliance President and CEO Michele Whelley. Its imperative that we prioritize funding for commuter rail operations in order to facilitate this growth and provide access to job opportunities for residents who are transit-dependent by necessity or by choice.
Specifically, the Transportation Alliance is focusing on improvements to the MARC service – as it already has significant infrastructure in place, connecting Greater Baltimore to the Washington, DC region – and recommends the following improvements:
middot; Weekend Service
Providing MARC service on weekends is critical for creating truly sustainable mixed-use transit oriented development communities. Additionally, weekend service is needed to support employment hubs where workplace hours may fall outside of the traditional Monday-Friday workweek.
middot; Weekday Late Night Service
A growing number of residents are traveling between Baltimore and Washington for both work and leisure activities. Adding later evening service between Union Station in Washington, DC, and Penn Station in Baltimore better serves employees who work non-traditional hours as well as those traveling for entertainment purposes.
middot; Weekday Peak Service Between Baltimore and Perryville
Service to the northern areas of Central Maryland is too limited to support the growing economic development activity in and around Aberdeen Proving Grounds. By increasing service between Perryville and Penn Station, the MARC service can better accommodate the significant job growth due to BRAC as well as the thousands of jobs that are being created to support the BRAC initiative.
middot; Express Weekday Off-Peak Service Between Baltimore and Washington
Anyone needing to travel between Baltimore and Washington during the week at off-peak hours has the option of fighting traffic by driving or taking the Amtrak train, which is more costly than MARC fares. Adding three express round trips per weekday between Penn Station and Union Station will provide additional access to the residential, educational, service and recreational opportunities of the region.
The Transportation Alliance is also analyzing the options available for commuters to get from MARC stations to nearby job centers including adding additional public buses, employer shuttles, and a new bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.
In addition to enhancing MARC service, we are recommending that MDOT prioritize funding for design and construction of several capital projects that would greatly enhance the MARC system and create value for private investment, added Whelley. These include a new MARC station at Bayview, a completely reconstructed station at BWI Airport and rail station improvements at West Baltimore and Penn Station.
In order to demonstrate support from organizations ranging from corporations to foundations to non-governmental organizations, the Transportation Alliance has developed a brief document for signing that succinctly lays out the rationale for increased funding to expand MARC, the Declaration of a Way Forward for Marylands Transportation: Lets Get to Work. Visit www.cmtalliance.org for more information and to sign the declaration.
About the Central Maryland Transportation Alliance
The Central Maryland Transportation Alliance is an independent, privately funded organization founded in 2007 by a group of Baltimore regional business, civic, and philanthropic leaders. Its Board of Directors is a unique composite of many of the regions most visible, active leaders from the corporate, foundation, and non-profit sectors. Over the past three years, the Transportation Alliance has advanced several significant initiatives and earned accolades for its accomplishments. By example, its recently released Maryland Transit-Oriented Development Strategy (TOD) was the result of work led by the Transportation Alliance to analyze opportunities and challenges in Central Maryland and to propose a strategic plan with recommended actions. Additionally, the Transportation Alliance was recognized by The Maryland Daily Record as an Innovator of the Year in 2008 and in 2009.
