Stimulus Money At Work

(flickr photo by blast-o-rama)

Note from MTA Maryland:

Attention MARC Riders:
Construction has begun on the replacement of the southbound platform of the Laurel MARC station. The work will be done in stages, so portions of the platform will need to be shut down throughout the duration of the project. Effective immediately, the boarding area will be limited to the platform area adjacent to the station building while work progresses on the other end of the platform. Construction of the entire project is expected to be completed by this Fall.

I haven't seen the Laurel stop in a long time, but I've seen pictures, and I'm glad this is the first station that will be getting an upgrade. It currently has a wooden deck which will replaced with a concrete deck. Improved lighting and a new shelter will be added as well.

In other transit stimulus news, the parking expansion at the West Baltimore stop on the Penn Line is also underway. This is the first phase in what will eventually be a completely revamped station and a Transit Orientation Development project. The best part of this project is that it starts to demolish the walls on part of the "Highway to Nowhere".
Keep on keepin' on with the upgrades MTA! And will someone please make a decision on the friggin' Red Line! If this were Portland it would be built by now.

Comments

  1. DavestarMarch 25, 2009 at 4:27 PM

    "And will someone please make a decision on the friggin' Red Line!"

    Hear, hear!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

When Club One was the House of Welsh

Image
 House of Welsh in 1943. Note the Guilford Elevated streetcar line. At one time, what was 301 Guilford Avenue (at some point over time the address was switched to 300 E. Saratoga St) was called the House of Welsh a long time Baltimore steakhouse and restaurant. Originally opened in 1900 it occupied the corner buildings for 98 years. A 1998 article in The Baltimore Sun details the history of the House of Welsh on the eve of its closure. With the demolition of these three buildings yesterday marks the end of some of the oldest houses that stood near downtown. The houses were build in the 1830s, some of the only other houses of the same period were on St. Paul Street and were demolished to make way for the new Mercy Medical Center tower. Inside these buildings make have taken place some of the more little known, but nonetheless interesting stories in Baltimore's history. In 1904, at the height of the Great Baltimore Fire, a telegraph line was hooked up inside the building...
Read more

Small Improvements to Light Rail That Could Make a Big Impact

Image
S equence lights on Howard Street so trains can move between stations without having to stop at red lights. This would significantly cut down on the travel time between Mt. Royal/UB and Camden Yards. The technology is there, it just needs to be implemented in a more sensible way.  Improve passenger information at each station. This would include updating the maps to reflect the current light rail operation. The maps at most stations outside of downtown are poorly designed and show the light rail configuration when the extensions to Penn Station and BWI first opened in 1997. Way-finding and neighborhood maps showing immediate transit connections and local attractions are a must. Posted schedules should be updated immediately whenever a new version of the timetable is made. Newer Light Rail map at downtown stations. Update signs at all stations. A few years back the downtown stations had new signs that replaced the originals from 1992. In addition the stations feature a sy...
Read more

Where's the New Charm City Circulator?

Image
(photo credit, http://www.yournameyourride.com/ ) It's the summer now, some may even call this the "late summer". It is around this time that Baltimore is supposed to roll out the brand spanking new Charm City Circulator , but where is this free bus service. The one thing I've learned about Baltimore is that press releases, news updates, and service reminders come few and far between in this town. It's mid-August. We got the new name back in June, but no official route map, no official stops, nor schedule. I haven't seen any signs around the downtown area. I live down here now, I haven't seen anything. How do you expect anyone to use this services if it's not being advertised? There were rumors floating back earlier this summer that dedicated bus lanes were going to be painted on Lombard and Pratt Street for not only this service, but the MTA buses that use the same roads, but it doesn't look like that has happened yet. Seems like this thing will ...
Read more