Building the Red Line Is a Poor Use of Taxpayer Funds

Despite high construction costs and limited ridership prospects, the Maryland Transportation Administration (MTA) is plowing ahead with the Red Line which would connect Woodlawn and Bayview via central Baltimore. At a time of renewed state budgetary pressure, building the Red Line appears to be an unwise use of taxpayer funds. Under Gov. Martin O'Malley, the MTA won a federal commitment to provide $900 million in grant funding toward the project's $3 billion estimated cost. But, in 2015, his successor Larry Hogan canceled the Red Line project, declining the federal grant. Hogan later defended that decision, telling a reporter "Everybody in that transportation department said that project made no sense whatsoever." During the O'Malley era, the new line was expected to transport 16.4 million passengers annually or 47,700 on a typical weekday. This high volume of passengers is more suitable to high- capacity trains, and so light rail appeared to be the most appropriate solution.