Planning Effects
Usually we wind up complaining the government isn't doing enough planning. So I suppose it would be hard to fault them for this kind of planning:
On top of it, how could the state possibly find enough money to pay for this? Such an ambitious, multi-decade expansion plan will probably costs the state several billion dollars in the long-run? Is it an sexy idea to basically be able to go from Fredericksburg, VA to Trenton, NJ? Sure. Is there a demonstrable demand for such a service? Not that I can see. Is there a way to make such a service financially self-sufficient? Not a chance.
Regional rail is a great way to provide an alternative means of transportation when expansion plans are reasonable, have a funding source, and will alleviate traffic on the roads. If regional rail plans do not have all three of those components, then tax dollars are better spent addressing the noted shortcomings of our highway system. And I can think of ten highway projects that should be a higher priority than this kind of MARC uberexpansion.
The Maryland Transit Administration is planning a sweeping expansion of its popular but crowded MARC commuter train service, including weekend runs and additional weekday trains by next year and a tripling of the system's capacity by 2035.A 28-year plan? Ambitious. How they pull it off is anyone's guess. The fact of the matter is that the state owns pretty much no rail lines. All of the lines are owned by CSX or Amtrak. Without ownership of any rail lines, the MARC system is automatically at the mercy of external forces. How in the world can you expand service when you don't own the mechanisms you need to provide the service?
The detailed blueprint, outlined in a briefing by MTA Administrator Paul J. Wiedefeld, envisions a system that eventually would stretch from Virginia to Delaware and have the capacity to carry more than 100,000 riders a day.
The plan, the cost of which would amount to billions of dollars over the next 28 years, would add tracks in areas that are bottlenecks and would increase the frequency of train arrivals. It would bring new interconnections with existing and future transit lines and create a new transportation hub at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.
On top of it, how could the state possibly find enough money to pay for this? Such an ambitious, multi-decade expansion plan will probably costs the state several billion dollars in the long-run? Is it an sexy idea to basically be able to go from Fredericksburg, VA to Trenton, NJ? Sure. Is there a demonstrable demand for such a service? Not that I can see. Is there a way to make such a service financially self-sufficient? Not a chance.
Regional rail is a great way to provide an alternative means of transportation when expansion plans are reasonable, have a funding source, and will alleviate traffic on the roads. If regional rail plans do not have all three of those components, then tax dollars are better spent addressing the noted shortcomings of our highway system. And I can think of ten highway projects that should be a higher priority than this kind of MARC uberexpansion.
Labels: Budget, Transportation
posted by Brian Griffiths at 7:26 PM
1 Comments:
The first thing that MARC needs to do is to raise its fares. That may sound bizarre from me, a daily MARC commuter whose wallet would take the hit. But if you compare per-mile transit costs to go thirty miles on heavy rail from Halethorpe to DC against the charges applied by Virginia, SEPTA, New Jersey Transit, Metro-North, Long Island Railroad and MBTA for the same distance, Maryland's is by far the cheapest, especially given that the track on the Penn Line is electrified which is a higher quality service and a higher maintenance item.
It's time for a 30-50% across the board fare hike or at least for the premium Penn Line; use that money to buy more equipment and negotiate for stronger track rights. Do I feel like paying $200 a month rather than $150 for my ticket? No, but I would rather see the system expand in availability of express services, decent parking an ADA compliance at Halethorpe and better negotiated terms with CSX and Amtrak which an increase in MARC's track lease rates would merit.
The market would bear it, I guarantee it; we are the richest state in the country and even though a lot of that wealth is concentrated in MoCo, Odenton and Arundel Mills would be considered a gift from Almighty God in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Charlotte, Nebraska, Michigan.
It's time to start charging retail prices for retail services.
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