Maryland
Moore launches Red Line revival – Maryland Matters
State, federal and local officials led by Gov. Wes Moore (D) vowed Thursday to build a Baltimore transit system canceled by the Hogan administration nearly eight years ago.
Moore, in an hour-long press conference on a sweltering West Baltimore parking lot, vowed to move quickly to complete a new east-west line.
The announcement represents an initial step toward fulfilling Moore’s 2020 campaign promise. The relaunch leaves years of studies, planning and efforts to secure funding before breaking ground. A rideable transit line is farther away still.
One of those studies will effectively strip the plan for the original Red Line project for usable parts. Transportation officials will build on those parts and update portions affected by nearly a decade of change.
An initial phase will identify possible routes and transportation modes. Public feedback from that initial stage will be be used to refine alternatives later this summer. Officials hope to have a detailed study including costs, benefits and impacts. By early 2024, state transportation officials will identify potential options that could advance to federal environmental studies, as well as seek federal dollars for the project.
At the same time, the state will also examine extensions of the core of the transit line into areas of eastern Baltimore and Howard Counties.
In the meantime, Mass Transit Administration officials said they will restart a rapid bus service that will essentially track along the original 2015 Red Line plan, offering limited stops and faster travel times.
The announcement did not include discussions of costs, preferred routes or transit modes for the completed project.
One option, a subway version of the Red Line, appears to be almost entirely off the table.
Former Gov. Larry Hogan (R) canceled the original Red Line project in 2015.
The plan was to connect Bayview Hospital in east Baltimore with Woodlawn in western Baltimore County over a 14.1-mile light rail line.
Hogan entered office having to decide the fate of the Baltimore project and the Purple Line light rail project.
The governor approved the suburban D.C. line connecting Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties.
He declared the Baltimore project “a boondoggle” and canceled it. The decision meant forgoing $900 million federal aid earmarked for the line.
The 16-mile Purple Line light rail project, which was mired with its own turbulent history including court battles and cost overruns, remains under construction, with service expected to begin in 2026.
This story will be updated.