The Maryland Transit Administration has been awarded $213,696,341 in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration’s Rail Vehicle Replacement program. The grant will support the Maryland Transit Administration’s efforts to replace all 52 aging Light Rail vehicles in its fleet with new, modern railcars. The State of Maryland is providing $90 million in matching funds and allocating $127.6 million in federal formula funds to the project to complement the federal grant, which was made possible by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The agency appreciates the support of our federal partners, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes and Kweisi Mfume, for this significant grant award to improve mobility for the Baltimore region.
Baltimore Metropolitan Council’s long-range plan. The agency’s existing Light Rail fleet includes standard, 95-foot rail cars dating back to the system’s launch in 1992. All vehicles have reached the end of their useful life or will be reaching the end of their useful life within five years, a timeframe required by the Rail Vehicle Replacement program.
The proposed replacement for each Light Rail car in the fleet is a modern, low-floor vehicle allowing for easier, more accessible boarding, making the Light Rail system more efficient and convenient to use for all passengers. This project will also improve the frequency and reliability of the Light Rail system by reducing the number of vehicles that are regularly out of service for repairs.
-via Press Release
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