A Strategy for Light Rail & Streetcars in the Potomac Region

Rendering of Baltimore Red Line in subway in downtown Baltimore

Although this blog is branded with a fictitious train serving the Baltimore-Washington region as a metaphor for delivering policy-related news and analysis from RAIL Magazine's headquarters in the nation's capital, we don't often zero-in on specific passenger rail topics on our local radar screen. This post will be different in that regard.

Washington, D.C. and its northerly neighbor in Maryland could be considered to have relatively extensive passenger rail options, although the folks in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Toronto, Chicago, the San Francisco Bay area and Los Angles could argue convincingly for the comparative strengths of their local rail networks. In the nation's capital, passenger rail is largely defined by the region's iconic Metro heavy rail system (your blog author penned a fairly thorough look at the Washington Metro in our 19th Edition). The 106-mile system – serving 85 stations, with another five currently under construction in northern Virginia – is the nation's second-busiest local rail operation after the New York City Subway. Meanwhile, longer-distance commuters in suburban communities in Maryland and Virginia are served the MARC and Virginia Railway Express (VRE) commuter rail systems in their respective states, both of which terminate at Washington's bustling Union Station. That same location also is the southern end of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor (NEC) intercity rail spine, and Amtrak passengers can board trains reaching destinations as far away as Chicago, Ill., New Orleans, La., Miami, Fla., Boston, Mass., and Montreal, Quebec. Over 32 million people visit Union Station each year, and in 2010, 4.5 million of them journeyed through the station on Amtrak trains, with millions more riding on MARC and VRE trains.

About 40 miles to the north is Maryland's largest city, Baltimore, which is connected to Washington via Amtrak's NEC Acela and Regional trains, as well as MARC's Penn and Camden lines – the former traveling over Amtrak's NEC route between Union Station and Baltimore's Penn Station, while the latter operates over CSX's Capital Subdivision between Union Station and the line's namesake terminal near Baltimore's popular Inner Harbor. The Camden Line is also the nation's oldest continually operating passenger rail line, beginning in 1835 when the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad began hauling its first passengers over the route. MARC service on the Penn Line also continues north from Baltimore on the NEC to Perryville, which recently has benefited from the addition of mid-day and reverse-commute trips.

Meanwhile, the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) – which oversees the MARC system – also provides local rail transit service in the Baltimore area, in addition to local and express bus routes and paratransit service. It's Metro heavy rail system opened in 1983 from downtown Baltimore northwest to Reistertown Plaza using a combination of subway, elevated and grade-level infrastructure. It was extended further northwest to Owings Mills in 1987 and northeast from downtown to Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1994. At the same time, the MTA operates a primarily north-south running light-rail system spanning 33 miles from Hunt Valley in the north to BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport and Cromwell/Glen Burnie in the south on two branches. The line utilizes a mix of former railroad and interurban rights-of-way, street running on Howard Street in downtown Baltimore (a dual-level rail thoroughfare, with CSX's Howard Street tunnel underneath) and new alignments to serve more than 36,000 daily riders.

In the combined Baltimore-Washington metropolitan region, there are numerous proposals for expansion for all of the passenger rail modes described above, ranging from Amtrak's proposals to construct a new high-speed rail corridor to new routes for the Washington and Baltimore Metro operations, commuter rail extensions, and – the main subject of this post – new light-rail and streetcar lines in both cities. It is this aspect of rail expansion plans that requires some unique analysis today, in terms of how these new projects and systems are planned, constructed, stocked and operated. For while both cities operate heavy rail Metro systems, they are entirely incompatible – utilizing vastly different vehicles, infrastructure clearances, signaling systems and other elements. The MTA and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority (WMATA) – which is responsible for the Washington Metro, as well as its own bus and paratransit services – should continue to operate both systems as distinct railroad entities. Likewise, while MARC and VRE certainly could improve their coordination on aspects such as run-through trips between Maryland and Virginia (perhaps a few even bypassing Union Station altogether via CSX's Alexandria Branch?), joint equipment purchases, and integration of fares and schedules, there are relatively few challenges to the region's commuter rail network aside from additional capacity needs.

However, the new light-rail and streetcar projects planned or under construction in the region do present opportunities for a regional approach to the two similar modes. First, a rundown of the various proposed and in-progress projects in the works is in order.

Most imminent will be two streetcar projects in Washington, D.C., both of which are currently under construction. The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is building two, unconnected streetcar routes that it envisions as the starter segments of an extensive citywide network. The further along of the two will link Union Station with the rapidly-growing H Street, NE corridor. Streetcar rails have already been installed along much of H Street as part of an ongoing roadway rehabilitation project, and final details are being ironed out in anticipation of a 2012 opening. The H Street will mark the first streetcar service in the nation's capital since 1962. Following the H Street line will be a route through the Anacostia section of southeast and southwest D.C., which has also begun construction for a 2013 debut. DDOT purchased three streetcars in advance of the initial routes, which WMATA is currently storing at its yards in Greenbelt, Md. Full details on D.C.'s planned streetcar system are available here (see full map below).

Across the Potomac in northern Virginia, Arlington County is also moving forward with plans for a streetcar route down its busy Columbia Pike corridor from the Pentagon City Metro station. WMATA's 16-series bus route is already one of the region's most well-used, with buses operating every two or three minutes during peak segments of the morning and evening rush hours. Investment has yet to be lined-up to support the project, but much of the planning and design work has already been completed. Arlington County is also working with the neighboring City of Alexandria to study a streetcar route between the Crystal City Metro station and the Potomac Yards development district to augment Metro's Blue and Yellow Lines and connect with a planned in-fill Metro station at Potomac Yards. Additionally, Fairfax County has considered streetcar options to connect Alexandria with the expanding Fort Belvoir and the sprawling Tysons Corners urban area, which will soon be served by four new stations as part of Metro's Silver Line expansion.

Returning to Maryland – but still within suburban communities surrounding Washington – is the Corridor Cities Transitway (CCT). Although the planning process has yet to determine whether the project would utilize light rail or bus rapid transit (BRT), the CCT project would augment existing Red Line Metro and MARC Brunswick Line service in Montgomery Country between Shady Grove and Clarksburg, serving Germantown, Gaithersburg and Rockville in the process. No investment sources have been lined-up yet, and a locally-preferred alternative is due for selection later this spring.

Also within Montgomery County, and extending into neighboring Prince George's County is the so-called Purple Line light-rail corridor (formerly known as the Bi-County Transitway), connecting a series of Metro stations in the two counties via an abandoned freight rail right-of-way and new alignments through dense suburban communities. Clockwise from west-to-east, the Purple Line would link the Red Line Bethesda and Silver Spring Metro stations in Montgomery County – and in the process slash travel times between the two extensively developed business districts by avoiding downtown Washington altogether – with Prince George's County via the Green Line's  College Park Metro station and the nearby University of Maryland main campus and the New Carrolton Metro, MARC and Amtrak intermodal station. Work is now underway on the project's preliminary engineering and environmental impact stages – placing it substantially ahead of the CCT – and will be seeking a Record of Decision from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to receive federal investment in the coming years. Additionally, the Purple Line could ultimately serve as the first quarter of a full light-rail loop around the region, connecting the various spokes of the existing Metro network (see second map below).

Maryland is also studying a new light-rail line in Baltimore to compliment its existing Metro (green) and Light Rail (blue and yellow) routes. Dubbed the Red Line, the 14-mile route would connect the mammoth centers for Medicaid and Social Security services in western Baltimore County with downtown Baltimore, the popular Fells Point district and the Bayview campus of Johns Hopkins Medical Center, along with a new station on the MARC Penn Line. Largely paralleling the planning and environmental work of the Purple Line, Maryland officials except to request a Record of Decision along the same timeframe as the corresponding project. The Red Line could also set the stage for an even more expanded passenger rail network in Baltimore, as first proposed in the Baltimore Rail Plan in 2002 (see second map below).

All told, three separate light-rail and at least three distinct streetcar projects are at various stages of planning, design or construction in the Potomac region, which could substantial alter and improve its mobility network for decades to come. With such a potentially significant impact, could there be ways these projects are considered and implemented through a broader, regional vision?

Certainly, the three light-rail projects in Maryland are easy to group together. The MTA is overseeing the planning and environmental processes for all three efforts, with input from local governmental entities, leaders and residents as is appropriate. Since the MTA already operates light-rail service in Baltimore, it is the logical choice to implement and operate similar services throughout the state. By consolidating elements such as vehicle procurement, construction management and maintenance, economies of scale in purchasing and materials can be realized, while institutional knowledge and operational know-how can serve as assets to each project. Such enhanced efficiencies could offer the projects a leg-up when competing for federal funds.

However, inasmuch as these managerial and operational elements belong together across the various light-rail projects, only one of those – Baltimore's Red Line – will be a clear part of Maryland's existing Baltimore-based rail network. For the CCT and Purple Line, their ultimate utility is in their connections to the Washington Metro network and – to a lesser extent – MARC commuter rail. So, while purchasing the same light-rail vehicles for all three projects makes sense, having the same fare structure, branding and transfer system is not quite so simple. For the Purple Line and CCT to achieve lasting success, they must be easy for Metro riders to access without much interference changing modes. That means, for example, Metro riders will not take easily to having to purchase a separate paper ticket – as required for the MTA's existing light-rail operations – when they already use a SmarTrip electronic card to access Metro. Meanwhile, Purple Line and CCT operating hours should mirror the larger Metro network, so a hypothetical rider heading into DC to enjoy weekend nightlife isn't suddenly stranded at 2 a.m. at Silver Spring with no way Purple Line trains heading back to Chevy Chase after midnight. These, and numerous other elements (system maps, convenient transfers, parking policies, etc) suggest that while the MTA should operate the routes as part of their light-rail operations department, a serious collaborative process is needed with WMATA that sufficiently coordinates the new light-rail aspects.  

Part of the challenge is the difference in modes, and the most significant element of that difference is fare processing. WMATA's Metro enjoys one of the highest farebox recovery rates in North America (71 percent) due to its thorough fare collection system, including SmarTrip and farecard machines and fare gates. Few opportunities are available to evade fare payment, as Metro's station managers are positioned to observe passengers moving through the fare gates. Conversely, nearly all light-rail systems operate on a proof-of-payment system, where passengers purchase paper fare cards from ticket vending machines on station platforms, and transit officials – sometimes transit police – randomly inspect trains for valid tickets. Most light-rail stations are not staffed and contain no fare gates, turnstiles or fare-based barriers to boarding trains, although many of the older light-rail operations (Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and San Francisco) include fare payment to board the vehicle – similar to a standard bus farebox – or through turnstiles or fare gates at downtown subway stations.

How will the CCT and Purple Line interact with Metro's fare payment system? Will Metro riders need to tap their SmarTrip cards on a light-rail vending machine to print a paper ticket? How will those riders react to a more complicated travel experience? Or will the CCT and Purple Line stations utilize completely controlled fare systems like the Metro, and limit station access to perhaps single entrances at either end of the platform? No light-rail system in North America operates in that manner. This aspect demands careful consideration and community input as the planning processes for both projects move forward.

The integration of streetcar projects in the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia are noticeably simpler. The greatest benefit of D.C.-Virginia collaboration would be a common choice of streetcar vehicle so that their collective purchasing power can be leveraged, and should various routes eventually be connected – however unlikely – they could operate over each others' rails. Integration with Metro's fare structure would actually be simpler than the Purple Line and CCT light-rail options, since streetcars are more easily adaptable to bus-style fareboxes and carry lower passenger volumes. And while a universal brand for all the region's streetcars would be interesting (perhaps Potomac Streetcar?), such a scheme would not be mandatory for successful operations. A regional transportation and planning blog, Greater Greater Washington, recently explored some branding ideas for Virginia's streetcar projects. Regardless of how they're branded or the fare structure employed, like light rail, must be consciously included as part of the region's passenger rail network, not stand-alone operations.