Southern Maryland Rapid Transit

Last updated
Southern Maryland Rapid Transit
Logo Southern Maryland Rapid Transit.svg
Logo of the proposed line.
Overview
StatusProposed
Locale Prince George's County
Charles County
Termini
Stations12
Service
Type Bus rapid transit or Light rail
System Maryland Transit Administration
Services1
Operator(s) Maryland Transit Administration
Technical
Line length18.7 mi (30.1 km) [1]
Route map

Contents

Proposed Alternatives
BSicon uxKINTa.svg
Branch Avenue
BSicon uexSKRZ-G4u.svg
BSicon uexHST.svg
Andrews Air Force Base
BSicon uexHST.svg
Camp Springs
BSicon uexHST.svg
Coventry
BSicon uexHST.svg
Woodyard
BSicon uexHST.svg
Surratts / Southern Maryland
Medical Center
BSicon uexHST.svg
Brandywine
BSicon uexSKRZ-G4u.svg
BSicon uexHST.svg
Timothy Branch
BSicon uexHST.svg
Mattawoman
BSicon uexHST.svg
Acton Lane
BSicon uexHST.svg
Downtown Waldorf
BSicon uexHST.svg
Smallwood
BSicon uexKHSTe.svg
White Plains

Southern Maryland Rapid Transit, abbreviated as SMRT, is a proposed mass transit line along the Maryland Route 5 and U.S. Route 301 highway corridors in between Washington, D.C., and Waldorf, Maryland. The project would link the heavily populated suburbs of northwestern Southern Maryland with Washington via a direct transit connection to the Washington Metro at Branch Avenue station. [2]

Background

Plans have called for a mass transit line serving the MD 5-US 301 corridor since the 1990s. In 2004, the MD 5/US 301 Transit Service Staging Plan (TSSP) was created as a guide to mitigate transit expansion along the growing corridor. The Maryland State Senate issued Senate Bill 281 which required a light rail study be issued between Branch Avenue Metro Station and White Plains. This legislation was complemented by the 2010 Southern Maryland Corridor Transit Corridor Preservation Study, further detailing the planning process for such a transit connection. [3] In May 2017, the SMRT Final Alternatives Report was released, recommending bus rapid transit and preferred alignment options. [4] Local politicians are attempting to implement light rail over bus rapid transit, citing capacity concerns. [5]

The 5.9 mile portion in Charles County (out of the total 18.7 mile preferred plan) would follow existing track parallel to U.S. Highway 301. The Prince Georges County portion would connect with the existing Branch Avenue metrorail station. There would be 13 stops along the way, including at Joint Base Andrews and Medstar Southern Maryland Hospital Center. Planners have begun setting the stage for transit-ordered development, much of it centered around downtown Waldorf and the Brandywine Crossing shopping center. A map of the preferred plan is linked in footnote #6 below. The transit proposal has been studied a total of five times between 1996 and 2017. In 1997 it ranked third out of 73 projects statewide, but was vetoed in 2017 by Governor Hogan, who used different ranking criteria which made SMRT fall to 36th out of 38 projects in the state. The Prince Georges County Council unanimously supported a 2020 bill to dedicate $27 million for a federal environmental review. [6] In 2022 the Federal government awarded $5 million to match funds the state had committed toward completing the design, engineering, and environmental process of SMRT. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maryland Transit Administration</span> Public transit authority of the state of Maryland

The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) is a state-operated mass transit administration in Maryland, and is part of the Maryland Department of Transportation. The MTA operates a comprehensive transit system throughout the Washington-Baltimore metropolitan area. There are 80 bus lines serving the Baltimore Metropolitan Area, along with rail services that include the Light Rail, Metro Subway, and MARC Train. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 52,922,000, or about per weekday as of the third quarter of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purple Line (Maryland)</span> Under construction light rail line

The Purple Line is a 16.2-mile (26.1 km) light rail line being built to link several Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C.: Bethesda, Silver Spring, College Park, and New Carrollton. Currently slated to open in 2027, the line will also enable riders to move between the Maryland branches of the Red, Green, and Orange lines of the Washington Metro without riding into central Washington, and between all three lines of the MARC commuter rail system. The project is administered by the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA), an agency of the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT), and not the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), which operates Metro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baltimore Metro SubwayLink</span> Rapid transit line in Maryland

The Metro SubwayLink is a rapid transit line serving Baltimore, Maryland, and its northwestern suburbs, operated by the Maryland Transit Administration. The segment in Downtown Baltimore is underground, while most of the line outside the central city is elevated or at surface grade. In 2022, the line had a ridership of 1,988,300, or about per weekday as of the third quarter of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baltimore Light RailLink</span> Light rail transit system serving Baltimore

Baltimore Light RailLink is a light rail system serving Baltimore, Maryland, United States, and its northern and southern suburbs. It is operated by the Maryland Transit Administration. In downtown Baltimore, it uses city streets. Outside the central portions of the city, the line is built on private rights-of-way, mostly from the defunct Northern Central Railway, Baltimore and Annapolis Railroad and Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway. The system had a ridership of 3,262,100, or about 14,600 per weekday, as of the third quarter of 2023.

The Red Line is a proposed east–west transit line for Baltimore, Maryland. The original project was granted federal approval to enter the preliminary engineering phase and the Maryland Transit Administration had spent roughly $300 million in planning, design and land acquisition, until Maryland Governor Larry Hogan declared his intent to not provide state funds for the project and shift state funding to roads in suburban areas. The original Red Line had been projected to cost roughly $1.6 billion, $900 million of which would have been guaranteed federal funding. Its construction had been estimated to begin in late 2015–early 2016, subject to funding, with a completion date set for late 2021–early 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Line (Baltimore)</span> Mass transit line in Maryland, USA

The Green Line is a proposed mass transit line for the Baltimore, Maryland area in the United States. It is still in the planning stages and its construction is not guaranteed.

The Northern Branch Corridor Project is a proposed extension of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail (HBLR) from its northern terminus into eastern Bergen County, New Jersey, initially proposed in 2001. If built, the new service would use the right-of-way of the Northern Branch on which the Erie Lackawanna Railroad ran passenger service until October 3, 1966, and is currently a lightly used, stub-ended freight rail line owned by CSX Transportation. The Northern Branch Corridor is at the foot of the west side of the Hudson Palisades in the Hackensack River valley, running for much of its length parallel to Overpeck Creek. After mixed reactions and extensive community input to a draft environmental impact statement (EIS), it was decided in 2013 to terminate the line at the Englewood Hospital and Medical Center. In March 2017 the Supplementary Draft Environmental Impact Statement was approved by the Federal Transit Administration allowing for a period of public reaction. A separately-conceived and funded bridge at 69th Street in North Bergen, necessary for operation of the system, has been completed. In 2017 NJ Transit estimated that the line would open in 2029.

Staten Island light rail proposals refer to two projects in the New York City borough of Staten Island. These proposals are among the several light rail projects that have been floated in New York City in recent years. Neither proposal was funded in the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's 2015–2019 Capital Plan, but $4 million was allocated to a study for it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LocalLink 80 (BaltimoreLink)</span> Bus route in Baltimore, Maryland

LocalLink 80 is a bus route operated by the Maryland Transit Administration in Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States. LocalLink 80 is part of the high frequency network of the local bus system. The route consists of a leg originating in Downtown Baltimore and goes on to serve the Garrison Boulevard corridor in the northwest of the city. Route 80 and its predecessor, route 91, has carried some of the highest ridership out of Baltimore's local bus network throughout its history. The line was the first in the city to be assigned articulated buses, which are now used to meet the higher capacity requirements of the frequent lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CityLink Red (BaltimoreLink)</span> Bus route operated by the Maryland Transit Administration

CityLink Red is a MTA BaltimoreLink bus route operated by the Maryland Transit Administration in Baltimore and its suburbs. The line currently runs from the University of Maryland Transit Center to the Lutherville Light Rail Stop along the corridors of York Road and Greenmount Avenue, and is the most heavily used MTA bus line. The CityLink Red bus replaced Route 8 bus route due to BaltimoreLink, and is the successor to the 8 Towson and 7 Govanstown streetcar lines.

Route 51 is a bus route operated by the Maryland Transit Administration in Baltimore and its suburbs. The line currently runs from the center of Towson to the Inner Harbor in Downtown Baltimore, serving the Charles Street corridor. Route 51 replaced Route 11 on June 18, 2017 due to the BaltimoreLink bus system overhaul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LocalLink 95 (BaltimoreLink)</span> Bus route operated by the Maryland Transit Administration

LocalLink 95 is a bus route operated by the Maryland Transit Administration in Baltimore. The line currently runs from the intersection of Roland Avenue and Lake Avenue in Roland Park south to the Inner Harbor via Roland Avenue, University Parkway, Charles Street and St. Paul Street.

The Bottineau LRT is a proposed light rail line extension in the Minneapolis – Saint Paul Metro area, projected to run northwest from Target Field station in downtown Minneapolis along County Road 81 to Brooklyn Park.

The Central Maryland Transportation Alliance (CMTA) is a coalition of Baltimore area business, civic and nonprofit groups intent on improving travel within Central Maryland, which consists of Baltimore City and the surrounding jurisdictions of Anne Arundel County, Baltimore County, Carroll County, Harford County and Howard County. The group's stated objectives are to reduce congestion, limit sprawl, increase job opportunities and make it easier, faster and more efficient for anyone to travel within Central Maryland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Santa Ana Branch</span> Rail line in California, US

The West Santa Ana Branch is a rail right-of-way formerly used by the Pacific Electric's (PE) Santa Ana route in Los Angeles County and Orange County in Southern California. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) owns the segment of the right-of-way in Los Angeles County, and the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) owns the segment in Orange County.

The Yellow Line is a mass transit line proposed by the Baltimore Regional Rail Plan in March 2002 for the Baltimore, Maryland area. It would begin at Columbia Town Center in Columbia, Maryland, and end in Hunt Valley, Maryland at Shawan Road.

The Charles Street Trolley is a proposed trolley line running through northern portions of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Kittelson & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm hired by trolley advocates, estimates that the line would be likely to carry 2.5 million riders per year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Shore Branch</span> Railroad branch in Staten Island, New York

The North Shore Branch is an abandoned branch of the Staten Island Railway in New York City, which operated along Staten Island's North Shore from Saint George to Port Ivory. The line continues into New Jersey via the Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Bridge to Aldene Junction in Cranford.

The West Santa Ana Branch Transit Corridor is a planned light rail line, mostly following the Pacific Electric's historic West Santa Ana Branch, connecting Downtown Los Angeles to the city of Artesia, along with other cities in southeastern Los Angeles County.

The Interborough Express (IBX) is a proposed 14-mile (22.5 km) and 24/7 light rail line in New York City. As proposed, the line would use the existing right-of-way from the Bay Ridge Branch and Fremont Secondary to connect Bay Ridge, Brooklyn and Jackson Heights, Queens, but operate on its own separate tracks. Near the All Faiths Cemetery in Queens, IBX would operate on the street. As of 2023 the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) estimated that the project would be operational in 2027.

References

  1. "SMRT Alternatives Report" (PDF). SMRT Maryland.com. December 15, 2016.
  2. "About the Project". Southern Maryland Transit Study. Maryland Transit Administration. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  3. "Southern Maryland Transit Corridor Preservation Study" (PDF). MTA Maryland. August 2010.
  4. "SMRT Final Alternatives Report". MTA Maryland. May 2017.
  5. "Light rail project needs public support, residents told at meeting". Maryland Independent. September 20, 2017.
  6. "A proposed light rail for Southern Maryland aims to relieve some of America's worst traffic". ggwash.org. 2020-02-17. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  7. "For the first time, Southern Maryland's transit dreams are showing signs of life". 2022-09-19. Retrieved 2023-08-02.