Next Red Line train arriving in 8 years.
Long time to wait on the platform!
Baltimore is one of those cities where transit-ready
development and redevelopment is running well ahead of actual transit
service. Having recently wandered
around the new development at Harbor East (next to the Inner Harbor) and the
redeveloping historic area of Fells Point (next neighborhood east) I was struck
by how transit-oriented these areas are (photos below). The good news is that transit is on the
way – the new Red Line light rail service will have stations in both
neighborhoods. The bad news is
that the scheduled opening of this line is 2022.
Maryland is moving as fast as it can to advance this
project, but this situation just underscores how slow and behind the curve the
delivery of transit projects is in this country. This is partly a function of a long tradition of
tight-fisted federal funding of transit generally and new starts
specifically. It is also partly a
function of the cumbersome project delivery we live with in the transportation
world. Finally, it is partly a
function of the rapid changes in urban settlement patterns and travel patterns
that are creating pressing consumer demands for high-quality transit.
Time to crank it up.
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