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All the talk seems to be about rail

St. Mary’s Today’s Ken Rossignol has a couple of interesting articles today. It seems that Steny Hoyer, John Bohanan, and Roy Dyson are all pushing Governor Martin O’Malley and Transportation Secretary Porcari to include Southern Maryland for commuter rail projects. Senator Dyson:

“We got our transportation study commission in place and we have seen some reports and officials visiting the area and right away we have ridiculous talk about examining the Rt. 5 corridor from Waldorf to Clinton for a right of way to connect Waldorf to Metro,” said Sen. Dyson. “That option is no option at all and all it does it take valuable time and money away from the possible while holding out hope for the impossible. We will never be able to afford the bill for that option, not with the current fiscal crisis we are in and the state of the economy. I have never seen the time when the state or federal government would fund a potential $3 billion project like that, why not do what is affordable?”

It all seems to run contrary to Gary Hodge’s light-rail plans.


Posted by: P.H. Coons on 10/01/07 at 05:54 PM
    Page 1 of 1 pages
  • 1. · Waldorf to Clinton! The undesirables have not had any trouble getting from Clinton to Waldorf thus far so buying a right-of-way seems to be a real waste of money. Now that public transportation and the Mall have opened-up Charles County (for better or for worse), there is no further need to be concerned about a light rail system that will only speed up the commute and carry more people. The damage that has alrady been done in not reversible.

    Comment by Iamangttia  on  10/01/07  at  06:18 PM | [Back to Top] | [Back to Main]
  • 2. · OK Duckies, here's the rest of the story:

    An existing rail line that carries coal to the Morgantown and Chalk Point power plants could be utilized to have Marc train passenger service to the Bowie train station for hookup to Metro connections, rail connections, or BWI delivery.

    The infrastructure exists. The Marc trains are available. Only need is to establish a public/private partnership w/CSX and build commuter/rail parking lots beside the tracks. There are logical locations adjacent to LaPlata, White Plains, and Hughesville.

    This was the O'Malley Team promise as they lined up for a campaign ad on the existing CSX tracks.

    Now, less than one year after the election and installation of their entire crew in Charles County, they have no money for real infrastructure but millions of dollars for plans to implent light rail and a new Thomas Johnson Bridge.

    The immediate new bridge solution which I have repeatedly re-interated is easy and could be implemented for less than the $4.5 million dollar study, but the issue here for this side of the Pax River is the rail solution.

    The light rail option for Gary's Trolley will consist of purchasing an additional right of way thru Charles and P.G. County which will likely cost hundreds of millions of dollars. The long term planning and environmental issues put this project, in my mind, on a forty or fifty year time frame.

    Let's see, reasonably priced Marc train service within Governor O'Malley's first term or an unaffordable light rail trolley half a lifetime away. Which option
    is the logical choice?

    Gary's Trolley, Dyson's Marc train, or more automotive gridlock, what one do YOU choose?

    Larry Jarboe

    Comment by patmd  on  10/01/07  at  10:06 PM | [Back to Top] | [Back to Main]
  • 3. · Commissioner Jarboe, Commissioner Hodge fears that something like MARC will encourage development (I assume he's referring to residential). Also, someone else pointed out to me look what VRE did to Fredricksburg. Any thoughts on this subject?

    Comment by P.H. Coons  on  10/02/07  at  02:21 AM | [Back to Top] | [Back to Main]
  • 4. · The only thing our see our Leaders doing is driving us all into the poor house with a destroyed environement to accompany us. But we can all go to the stadium and drink a $20.00 beer since water from the ground will be gone, and so will those slicky boy developer's.

    Comment by jdman1  on  10/02/07  at  09:47 AM | [Back to Top] | [Back to Main]
  • 5. · Darkwing,

    You get it. Now, is the time to negotiate with CSX because of the barge coal transport issues.

    The use of existing infrastructure only makes sense as we are tasked as elected representatives of the people to do more with less dollars. Despite the public reports, we are living in austere times.

    It will be difficult enough to secure right of way for a 301 bypass. Imagine securing a light rail right of way thru Charles County AND the rural portion of P.G. County (what is left of it).

    P.H. Coons,

    You already have great residential development. What the region does not have is an effective off highway mass transit system. The three choices still stand.

    I stand by Senator Roy Dyson's MARC train concept.

    Larry Jarboe

    Comment by patmd  on  10/02/07  at  09:04 PM | [Back to Top] | [Back to Main]
  • 6. · The truss plants can get train cars of lumber and other supplies delivered directly to their loading docks but the County can't get people delivered to their jobs along the same tracks. Seems logical.

    Comment by Iamangttia  on  10/03/07  at  11:24 AM | [Back to Top] | [Back to Main]
    • Page 1 of 1 pages

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