I would have to agree ... getting it to at least Ft. Meade is not as bad, but if you want to make getting downtown easier for the Columbians, perhaps the Orange Line might be the better way to go until a later date

by coneyraven on Sep 8, 2009 8:18 am  

I wrote about this extensively yesterday -- I think it says a lot about the priorities of the CMTA that they'd rather waste money on a suburban line that reinforce the network in the central city.

by Yonah Freemark on Sep 8, 2009 8:23 am  

I agreed with this too. The northern section of a separate Yellow Line would be a great idea. The connections that can be made with this would be key. The southern route to Columbia is a terrible idea. A better way would be to run a route through Catonsville and onto Columbia.

The extension of the Green Line at least to Morgan State/Good Samaritan Hospital, if not eventually to White Marsh would be better suited to help drive redevelopment

by Chris on Sep 8, 2009 8:43 am  

Aren't there security provisions that would prevent a Fort Meade light rail line? Discussions of a Metro line extention from Springfield to Fort Belvoir were abandoned because of security issues.

I don't see what a Yellow Line extention accomplishes apart from encouraging sprawl.

by monkeyrotica on Sep 8, 2009 9:01 am  

Unfortunately, this comes across as a show of no confidence in the revival of Baltimore.

by цarьchitect on Sep 8, 2009 9:10 am  

It comes across as a bunch of suburbanites who have no concept of why there are even suburbs to begin with.

Through my advocacy, I've learned that there will always be people who don't know what's best for the common good and also don't care. Both seem to be applicable here.

A complete intracity/regional rail system for Baltimore will do wonders for the economic development and tax revenues for the city and state. These people really don't care about that. They just want a train line that makes no sense that they won't use anyway.

by Cavan on Sep 8, 2009 9:23 am  

Howard county too politically important. The yellow line to Columbia would make some sense as an outer connector if the main lines were already in place. Maybe. Otherwise it's more a nice way for Columbia residents to get to BWI, on top of highway 100 already there.

Columbia has ruined the traffic flow on 95 from DC and some sort of tie-in to DC Metro is more important as many more people living there work in DC.

Shame since the concept of Columbia with all it's office parks was that people would both live and work there.

by Tom Coumaris on Sep 8, 2009 10:11 am  

Columbia is exactly the sort of place that should have really great commuter rail connections.

Commuter rail, not light rail.

by BeyondDC on Sep 8, 2009 10:15 am  

@monkey

If there can be a rail station at the Pentagon, I think they can find a way to make a rail connection work at Fort Belvoir and Fort Meade.

by Adam L on Sep 8, 2009 10:41 am  

Interesting article -- I've linked to it on my blog.

Dave makes a good point if his 42-minute estimate is correct. That's a drive that now can be made in about 30 minutes via Route 100. If you could set up an express bus route between the BWI Business District & Columbia Town Center, you could extend the usefulness of the light rail line and the Howard Transit system with modest expense and no need to wait decades. If the MTA could actually synchronize the light rail and bus schedules, even better.

by Michael Dresser on Sep 8, 2009 12:06 pm  

@Adam L.

The station opened in 1977 and was planned even earlier. My guess is they wouldn't allow it to be built now. Note that Pentagon station used to have a direct underground connection to the Pentagon. Now you have to go outside and around through new security checkpoints.

by Distantantennas on Sep 8, 2009 1:53 pm  

What they need to do is tie together the ligh rail that already exists. For example, it should be simple to get from Camden station to Johns Hopkins, except it isn't.

by Rich on Sep 8, 2009 3:18 pm  

@Rich

To get to Hopkins Hospital from Camden Station, you can take the Light Rail to Lexington Market, transfer to the Metro/Green Line to Hopkins. The transfer requires a 1/2 block walk.

by Jed on Sep 8, 2009 5:27 pm  

These are all great comments. As one of the authors of the report, I encourage folks that are interested to read the full set of recommendations. The goal of the study was to look at how to spur transit-oriented development in the Central Maryland region. The Yellow Line recommendation has generated a lion's share of the discussion, but the crux of the recommendations is that transit investments need to happen faster, that connectivity to where people want to go is essential, and that there will not be a one-size fits all approach to TOD in the region. The Green Line extension will be important for linking many people to the downtown job center, but, as many of these comments note, employment has decentralized in the region. Transforming these surburban employment centers into more urban, mixed-use, regional anchors in the future will depend on investments that better connect them to the regional rail network. The key point is not that the Green Line should be dropped from consideration, but that the Yellow Line (and especially the downtown to Towson segment) need to be accelerated. But that is only on the transit side. There also needs to be a new priority placed on reinforcing existing neighborhoods near transit and creating vibrant, mixed-use, mixed-income communities that build overall momentum and support for TOD while mitigating against rapid neighborhood change.

by Sam Z. on Sep 8, 2009 5:31 pm  

When I first moved to White Marsh I looked at taking transit to school/work in Catonsville. My only option was a 2.5 hour bus line. I carpooled with my wife who works in Columbia while I was still working there.

by JQ on Sep 8, 2009 5:50 pm  

Honestly the one question that keeps popping up in my mind is the semi-abandoned spur track that CSX has running right in to Columbia. From the Jessup yards it crosses under 95 between MD-32 and MD-175 before ending up on the east side of Snowden River Parkway. One woudl think it should be almost elementary linking that spur with the existing Camden tracks since:
A) The line already exists
B) Its a spur to nowhere and isn't really being used

If you want to link Columbia with Baltimore and DC then MARC would be the far better way to go. I mean the existing track segment terminates less than 1/4mi from one of the busiest park and ride lots in Howard County. Pushing the Yellow Line down to Columbia will be nice: 30 years from now if the Downtown Columbia Master Plan actually succeeds in rebuilding the lakefront but in the interim MARC would be much better.

by Greg on Sep 8, 2009 9:04 pm  

Where is the report available? and can you post a map of what we are talking about. I cannot visualize all these elements.

by Scott Pomeroy on Sep 9, 2009 8:22 am  

The full report and executive summary are available here: http://cli.gs/aDSz5U

The Baltimore Regional Rail Plan is available here: http://www.baltimorerailplan.com/ Yonah's link in the second comment also has a Rail Plan map.

by Sam Z. on Sep 9, 2009 8:47 am  

@Greg, I was thinking the same thing. That spur could save millions.

I live in Howard County and take the Light Rail every day. The area would be better served by decent bus connections to tie together the already existing transit infrastructure, rather than expensive rail that would take decades to build.

by john on Sep 10, 2009 10:14 pm