MTA spending to drop by 58 percent over six years

Maryland Transit Administration spending is scheduled to fall by 58 percent under the state’s six-year plan — a steep drop that state transportation officials attribute to front-loaded costs of expensive MARC, metro and light rail vehicle replacements, but which advocates call a worrying sign of lacking transit investment in the future.

The agency’s spending is set to fall to $368.2 million in the 2024 fiscal year, from $878 million in the 2019 fiscal year, according to the state’s capital budget for transportation projects, which Maryland Department of Transportation officials presented to Baltimore officials at City Hall on Wednesday.

MTA CEO Kevin Quinn noted that much of MTA’s spending takes place in the first few years of the plan, on “once-in-ageneration projects.”

Those include $448 million to replace Baltimore Metro Subway cars, $100 million to overhaul light rail cars and $168 million to replace and overhaul MARC coaches and locomotives.

“It just so happens that we’re doing a lot of vehicle replacements in the first few years,” Quinn said in an interview Tuesday. “That’s just how it’s been scheduled, based on historical age of the system.”

Brian O’Malley, president of the Central Maryland Transportation Alliance, a transit advocacy group, acknowledged that spending fluctuates and that agencies commonly budget less money in the later years to allow themselves flexibility.

The state routinely defers spending on capital projects, then increases spending as needed in those later years.

If the MTA spends its money as planned, though, 2023 and 2024 will be the lowest-spending levels in 15 years, said O’Malley, who is no relation to the former governor.

“It’s a big system with a lot of riders, and it needs investment,” O’Malley said Tuesday. “I’m worried this document doesn’t provide as much investment as we need to set a good course for our future.”

He cited the emergency shutdown of the Metro Subway system in February and the significant delays to the MARC train service over the summer, among other concerns.

“The cost of maintaining transportation infrastructure is going up faster than inflation,” O’Malley said.

“It’s not the time to be hitting a 15-year low for investing in MTA’s facilities and equipment.”