Fast Forward
MTA is investing $43 million in our core service area through the Fast Forward: Customer Experience Enhancement Project, accelerating projects that create a transit system that is more reliable, accessible, and easier to use. Funded by the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, Fast Forward improvements are targeted for final design by the end of 2023 and construction or installation in 2024.
Transit Hubs Initiative
Transit Hubs are transfer points for multiple transit routes or modes. Typically, a transit hub includes enhanced amenities (shelters, benches, information). MTA is pursuing a community-driven and data-driven approach to identify opportunities to improve the customer experience, make transfers easier between bus routes and at rail stations, and improve multimodal connections. Potential improvements can include increased seating and shelters, lighting, widened sidewalks, and other amenities to improve safety, comfort, access, and overall enjoyment of the transit experience. For more information, please contact transitpriority@mdot.maryland.gov.
Transit Priority Initiative
MTA is working with local jurisdictions to increase bus reliability, speed and passenger safety throughout the BaltimoreLink system. MTA has pursued a data-driven approach to identify opportunities in the system, focusing on reliability, bus speeds, and travel delays at bus stops. Potential targeted investments to the roadway that prioritize transit riders include curb-extensions at bus stops, transit signal priority, dedicated bus lanes, queue jumps, and more. Current corridor efforts include:
- North Avenue Rising (Hilton St. to Milton Ave.)
- Pilot Dedicated Bus Lanes
- Charles & Light Street Bus Lane Pilot (Conway St. to Saratoga St, and Pratt St. to Lombard St.)
- Harford Avenue Bus Lane Pilot (Forrest Ave. to Biddle St.)
- York Road Bus Lane Pilot (Radnor Ave. to Bellona St.)
- Garrison Boulevard Transit Priority Initiative
- Belair Rd/Gay St Corridor
Capital Needs Inventory (CNI)
MTA is the 13th largest multi-modal transit system in the United States, operating and maintaining $14 billion in physical assets to provide transportation services across the State of Maryland. Investing in the state of good repair (SGR) of these assets and system enhancements is critical for MTA to deliver safe, efficient, reliable, and customer-focused services. The MTA Capital Needs Inventory (CNI), consistent with ongoing transit asset management (TAM) analyses, outlines the unconstrained investment needs between 2025 and 2034 that will help MTA meet current and future service demands and system performance goals, support major construction projects such as the Frederick Douglass Tunnel, the Purple Line, major MARC projects, and achieve a State of Good Repair across bus and rail. Due to ongoing efforts, the amount of MTA assets outside of a State of Good Repair is already projected to drop in the next year, and continued funding at CNI-recommended levels could nearly eliminate MTA's State of Good Repair needs backlog over the next ten years.
MARC Brunswick Line Study
MTA is undertaking the Brunswick Line Expansion Study to evaluate opportunities for expanded service on the Brunswick Line that are identified in the MARC Cornerstone Plan. The Study will define potential phasing of future service enhancements and identify the associated infrastructure investments needed to accommodate those service levels. The study will include an evaluation of existing rail operations and station access, markets for increased ridership, as well as operating and capital costs to support service expansion.
Shared Mobility Work Plan
MTA has worked collaboratively with government and non-government partners to pilot new shared and on-demand mobility services and technologies to enhance our riders' transit experience. Following early successes, MTA has published a Shared Mobility Work Plan to communicate to the public our existing and planned partnerships and our commitment to remain nimble and embrace new business models and technologies benefiting transit riders.
Cornerstone Plans
The Cornerstone Plans translate MTA's mission statement into strategic priorities, policies, programs, and initiatives for each transit mode. MTA is committed to responsibly managing assets to support long-term operational demands while seeking ways to enhance customers' experiences. Each Cornerstone Plan synthesizes MTA plans, policies, and reports with performance data, local and national trends, and stakeholder input. The agency comprehensively analyzes this information to create targeted recommendations for growth and investment in each mode that coordinate with the needs of the transit system overall. For any questions or comments regarding the cornerstone plans, please contact cornerstoneplans@mdot.maryland.gov.
- Bus Cornerstone Plan
- Light RailLink Cornerstone Plan
- MARC Growth and Transformation Plan
- Metro SubwayLink Cornerstone Plan
- MobilityLink Cornerstone Plan
Statewide Transit Plan
MTA is developing a new Statewide Transit Plan to provide a 50-year vision of coordinated local, regional, and intercity transit across the state. This plan will define public transportation goals and strategies for rural, suburban, and urban regions of Maryland to provide coordinated, equitable, and innovative transit.
