Transcript Imagine the Possibilities… Vision from the 2002 Rail Plan

Imagine the Possibilities…
Vision from the 2002 Rail
Plan
The world in 2000
• Bus and rail ridership flat
• Statewide transit plan
called for doubling
ridership by 2020
• Last major rail project
completed in 1997
• No expansion projects in
planning or construction
• Transit not a factor in
development decisions
A region responds…
• Secretary of Transportation appoints Rail
Plan Advisory Committee
– Civic leaders, not experts
• Reviewed prior studies, current and future
traffic conditions, location of “life activities”
• Public workshops
• Alternative plans narrowed to Draft Plan
• More public workshops
• Final plan and priority projects selected
• Report in 2002
Major findings
•
•
•
•
•
Baltimore region needs more; better transit
Need to unify the region
Growing congestion
Poor air quality
Access to jobs for city to city; city to suburb; suburb
to city commuters
• Fight sprawl and support downtown
• Mobility for young and old
• Catch up with peer regions
What does rail transit do well
today?
• Frequent reliable service for downtown
workers
• Occasional riders use for ball games
and special events
• Access to jobs near Hunt Valley,
Owings Mills and BWI
• Fast commuter service to Washington
What is missing?
• Sense of an overall system
• Enough destinations to compete with
auto travel
• Service in all major corridors, and to all
major employment centers and tourist
destinations
• Coordination with development activities
What should we expect from
system expansion projects?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Serve densely populated, congested corridors
Serve major employment centers and activity
centers
Support both existing land use and major targeted
growth areas
Reduce income disparity with opportunities for low
income communities
Increase use of the existing system
Provide seamless, comfortable service for the
rider
Effectively compete with cars
Attract new riders to transit
Recommended System Plan
Red Line
• Recommended by Rail Plan Advisory
Committee
• Selected by MTA
• Endorsed by Baltimore City, Baltimore
County, State Legislators
2
Red Line – Project initiation
• Start-up funds in 2003
• Planning and design funds approved in 2004
• Alternatives Analysis begins in 2004
3
Alternatives Analysis
• Transform concept into “real” project
• No official planned alignment – requires
a full range of alternatives
• Determine…
– Modal alternatives
– Horizontal alignments
– Vertical alignments
4
Key areas to serve
SECURITY / WOODLAWN
DOWNTOWN BALTIMORE
5
FELLS POINT /
PATTERSON PARK
Detailed studies
• Project starts to become
“real”
• Full range of
environmental impacts
• Engineering studies
• Traffic and parking impacts
• Capital cost estimates
• Ridership estimates
• Station planning
6
Public involvement
•
•
•
•
Communities / businesses / institutions
25 corridor-level meetings to date
Over 75 individual meetings to date
Interactive process relative to
alternatives, alignments, and stations
• Benefits and impacts begin to become
“real” as opposition or serious concerns
evolve
8
Alignments remaining under
consideration
• Light rail and Bus
Rapid Transit
• Full tunnel
• Tunnels downtown;
Cooks Lane only
• Full at-grade
• No Build
• Bus Management
9
Decision making
•
•
•
•
11
Workshops in 2007 and 2008
Hearings in 2008
Decision on Locally Preferred Alternative in 2008
Funding?
Green Line
• Scoping meeting in 2003
• Detailed work underway in 2007
• East Side opportunities
– Johns Hopkins Science + Technology Park
– NIH at Bayview
– BRAC
– Canton / Greektown development
MTA goals
• Solve real transportation problems with
feasible solutions
• Address community concerns and
technical issues
• Look for opportunities to increase
economic opportunity; livability
• Keep the promise of the 2002 plan