Maryland’s commitment to encourage the use of mass transit in the state has begun to pay dividends as average weekday ridership in 2010 increased more than 11% over the 2006 baseline. 

Strategies

Our efforts to double transit ridership in Maryland are based on five core strategies:

• Ensure quality service;
• Improve transit system safety and security;
• Expand transit service;
• Enhance existing service; and
• Support the advancement of transit-oriented development (TOD).
• Transit oriented development is an approach to planning and development that promotes dense, mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly environments in proximity to centers of mass transit, helping to reduce traffic congestion, fuel consumption,
  pollution, and sprawl and promoting the use of public transportation.

Together, we have:

• Developed and implementing the MARC Growth and Investment Plan.
• Issued an Executive Order requiring that new State Facilities be located adjacent to transit stations to encourage TOD growth.
• Installed easy and convenient credit card readers at Baltimore Metro and light rail stations
• Enacted legislation to support TOD expansion, including a repurposing of transportation funds and more flexible financing.
• Launched the Smart Sites Initiative, which aligns state resources around development projects particularly conducive to smarter, more sustainable growth. 
• Designated “TOD Zones” around 14 transit stations across the state, which will receive tax incentives and focused state and local government support to encourage transit-oriented development.
• Launched “Going Green Downtown” initiative to facilitate sound planning and best practices to promote sustainable development and historic preservation in core communities and main streets throughout Maryland.  

Read the more detailed plan to achieve this important transportation goal...

Delivering Results

• Maryland Transit Administration ridership grew by 4.3% in FY11 and has grown by 7.8% since the end of FY08.
• Improved the reliability of MARC service by replacing 40 year-old diesel engines with 26 new fuel-efficient, environmentally friendly locomotives, and implementing scheduling changes to better meet customer needs.  On the MARC Penn Line, on-time performance reached 94% during the May-September period of 2011, compared with 88% in 2010 and 87% in 2009.  In September, on-time performance on the Penn Line reached 98%, a MARC train record.
• Completed the purchase of 54 bi-level rail cars, a significant investment in improving both the comfort and capacity of MARC service.  The new rail cars will expand the MARC fleet by 16 cars, relieving the overcrowding that often hinders service quality.  When installed, the new rail cars will add 4,780 daily seat trips to MARC service, increasing capacity by 8 percent.
• After years of delays and promises, we announced plans for Baltimore’s Red Line and the DC area’s Purple Line to provide fast, reliable and environmentally sensitive transit options for the most densely populated areas of our state.
• The proposed Red Line project was among 14 infrastructure projects (and one of just two transit projects) selected by the federal government for expedited permitting and environmental review, possibly reducing the time it takes to build the new light rail line by up to two years. The Red Line project should spur job creation and add to growing transit ridership figures, furthering the State’s effort to provide fast, reliable and environmentally sensitive transit options for the most densely populated areas of our state.   

Progress toward delivery is monitored by the GDU, and assessed regularly at agency and cross-agency Stat meetings.