A to-do list for upgrading public transit around Baltimore
Despite some positive news about public transit in and around Baltimore in recent weeks — from a $213 million federal grant to replace the region’s aging fleet of light rail cars to the delivery of the Maryland Transit Administration’s first zero-emission electric buses — these are still challenging times for those who rely on the MTA to get from one place to another. Staffing and equipment shortfalls have been numerous. The state agency generally under-invested in Baltimore transit during Gov. Larry Hogan’s two terms, particularly with the Republican’s choice to abandon the east-west Red Line project. And the near-term outlook overall looks just as bad as the Maryland Department of Transportation remains about $3 billion shy of what’s needed to meet highway, transit, bridge, tunnel and airport obligations outlined in its 6-year Consolidated Transportation Program.
Yet earlier this month, an important corner may have been turned with the first meeting of the Baltimore Regional Transit Commission, a fact-finding 16-member group created by the Maryland General Assembly last year. The commission, chaired by Baltimore attorney Jon M. Laria, has been tasked with studying how best to create a “Baltimore Regional Transit Authority” to govern Baltimore transit that may take it out of the state agency’s hands. Laria and his co-workers have until the end of October to submit their findings to Gov. Wes Moore and legislative leaders. It’s a tricky business that requires balancing the potentially competing needs of the city and its surrounding counties while also addressing long-term funding.
In that spirit, we would like to offer our priorities for this endeavor:
First, raise staffing on the various MTA modes to national standards. The MTA’s driver shortage has been well documented, but it has also come up short for maintenance and supervisors at various times. A lot of the worst local transit performance issues, perhaps including the temporary shutdown of light rail service that took place last December, might be avoided simply through adequate staffing.
Second, speed up the procurement process. Another reason light rail performance suffered is that it took so long to overhaul the aging fleet. Along those same lines, we would need the Baltimore Regional Transit Authority (or whatever it ends up being called) to do a better job of keeping its vehicles in good repair. The MTA has had a notoriously long backlog in this regard.
Third, and this may prove the most challenging goal, every jurisdiction in the region needs to be contributing toward BRTA funding. That’s how other regional transit systems work, and it’s necessary for several reasons. Among them: to better finance these crucial services, to make the authority less beholden to the state (and future governors who might not support transit) and to make sure local governments have so-called “skin in the game” and are helping finance the better service they seek.
Finally, we would recommend a governance structure that detaches statewide transit services — MARC commuter trains, for example — from those strictly focused on Baltimore. The priorities are just not the same when you are serving other parts of Maryland.
The one thing Baltimoreans should be confident about right now is that the MTA’s performance, while perhaps improving under Administrator Holly Arnold, is not so impressive that lawmakers in Annapolis are likely to get in the way of the creation of a regional authority. And there is, of course, an example in our own backyard, in the form of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority which governs transit in and around the District of Columbia. And on that subject, we would expect Baltimore’s new structure to be reflected in how Maryland aligns with WMATA. If Baltimore, Howard, Anne Arundel counties and the like can kick in money for the BRTA, then Montgomery and Prince George’s can return to the days of helping finance WMATA and not just leaving that to the MTA.
Make no mistake, these can prove critical choices. A more efficient, more effective transit system could go a long way toward connecting Baltimore area residents with jobs. Reviving the Red Line, as Governor Moore has vowed to do, is important. Putting city transit on a more sustainable path overall could prove just as crucial.