Alliance Proposes MARC Solution for APG

With Baltimore ranking fifth in the United States in congestion, the Central Maryland Transportation Alliance is calling for more public transportation options—especially commuter rail.

The transportation alliance, a privately-funded organization, announced on Wednesday "Let's Get to Work,” an initiative to expand and improve MARC rail service throughout Maryland.

"Unfortunately, the lack of progress in expanding and improving our infrastructure, both roadway and rail, has coincided with the region's economic development and job growth over the past decade," transportation alliance president and CEO Michele Whelley stated in a press release.

The initiative calls for alleviating the 40-mile congested commute from Baltimore and Washington, D.C. metro areas and granting better access to employment that supports the state's significant job growth due to BRAC and other growth industries.

According to a recent study conducted by the transportation alliance, service to the northern areas of Central Maryland is too limited to support the growing economic development activity in and around . A proposed solution is weekday peak service between Baltimore and Perryville.

In addition, the transportation alliance recommends weekend service, weekday late night service and express weekday off-peak service between Baltimore and Washington.

The study also explored options available for commuters to get from MARC stations to nearby job centers, including adding additional public buses, employer shuttles, and a new bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.

To garner support from corporations and other non-governmental organizations, the transportation alliance developed a brief document for signing, the "Declaration of a Way Forward for Maryland's Transportation: Let's Get to Work."