Should WMATA extend its service to Baltimore to connect with the MTA? (Glen Burnie: transfer to, neighborhood)

[PurpleHaze1100]

Should WMATA and MTA team up and make a comprehensive regional transit system between the two cities? For example extending metro rail service to BWI to connect to MTA's Light Rail System. Or even extending Metro Rail service into Downtown Baltimore for direct access to the city's Metro Subway from DC's already developed Metro System. Could this help Baltimore create a more accessible and reliable mass transit system?

[bufflove]

Huh? No. Metro, if anything, already travels too far away from the DC core. Extending it to Baltimore not only would cost tens of billions of dollars, it also would defeat the whole purpose of the system. It's a local, DC area subway system. Amtrak and MARC on the other hand, are interregional heavy rail lines that are built to be exactly what you describe. Turning Metro into a redundant MARC doesn't make any sense. It's akin to turning your local neighborhood bus line into a bus between DC and Baltimore; it destroys the whole purpose of your neighborhood bus while also not adding any new service since there's already another bus line that runs between the two cities.

[Khemistry]

Originally Posted by bufflove

Huh? No. Metro, if anything, already travels too far away from the DC core. Extending it to Baltimore not only would cost tens of billions of dollars, it also would defeat the whole purpose of the system. It's a local, DC area subway system. Amtrak and MARC on the other hand, are interregional heavy rail lines that are built to be exactly what you describe. Turning Metro into a redundant MARC doesn't make any sense. It's akin to turning your local neighborhood bus line into a bus between DC and Baltimore; it destroys the whole purpose of your neighborhood bus while also not adding any new service since there's already another bus line that runs between the two cities.

+10 ^^ This

It would make absolutely ZERO sense to extend Metro that far, for all the reasons listed by bufflove, and more. Metro should be extended as far out as Laurel, but that's it. MARC and Amtrak already exists for this mission. MARC is so cheap, I've spent the same amount of money traveling from DC to Baltimore, as I do riding the Metrorail between PG County and Virginia! No one wants to be on a crowded, uncomfortable subway, for 1 1/2 hours traveling to Baltimore. Again, we have MARC and Amtrak that already does this job, much more efficiently. There's no way I'd give up a personal, comfortable, WiFi enabled seat on an express MARC train, for a crappy Metro subway car. You've got to be kidding with this question or proposal!

[MacSmooth]

Originally Posted by Khemistry

+10 ^^ This
There's no way I'd give up a personal, comfortable, WiFi enabled seat on an express MARC train, for a crappy Metro subway car.

lol, I feel the same way. For my last job I commuted from Laurel to Downtown DC. I would take the MARC train from Laurel or Savage to Union Station and then take Metro's red line from Union Station to Metro Center. After a while I just got frustrated with Metro (delays, overcrowding, single tracking, etc.) and started walking from Union Station to my job and vice versa and it was so much better. Got plenty of fresh air, lost a few pounds and sometimes, I even beat some of my Metro riding co-workers (assuming there was a major delay on the red line).

[MacSmooth]

Originally Posted by bmoreboy25

Should WMATA and MTA team up and make a comprehensive regional transit system between the two cities? For example extending metro rail service to BWI to connect to MTA's Light Rail System. Or even extending Metro Rail service into Downtown Baltimore for direct access to the city's Metro Subway from DC's already developed Metro System. Could this help Baltimore create a more accessible and reliable mass transit system?

I understand what you mean, but the two systems are already connected in a number of ways. Here are a few ways that I know of that you can get between DC and Baltimore using public transit:

MARC Train/Amtrak - You can either take the MARC Camden train or MARC Penn train/Amtrak to get between Union Station in DC and Baltimore's Camden/Penn Station Downtown. These MARC trains run every 25-45 minutes during rush hour and the Penn line runs hourly outside of rush hour.

MTA Light Rail - Also keep in mind that MARC runs to Glen Burnie and BWI Airport which connects you to the Light Rail and the light rail gets you through downtown Baltimore all the way out to Hunt Valley

Metrorail/MARC - If you're on Metrorail you can get off at Union Station (Red Line), Greenbelt (Green Line) or New Carollton (Orange Line) and transfer to the MARC train and get to Baltimore

Metrorail/Metrobus - If you're on Metrorail you can get of at Greenbelt (Green Line) and take the B30 express bus (runs every 40 minutes) to BWI Airport which gives you access to MARC and Light Rail

MARC/Light Rail/Baltimore Subway - You could also take MARC, transfer to Light Rail, get off at Lexington Market and transfer to the Baltimore subway which can take you all the way out to Owings Mills or Johns Hopkins

Saying all that to say, we already have a comprehensive regional transit system, you just have to know how to use it

[NorthEast Coast 202]

The B30 metrobus already connects the two systems (Greenbelt - BWI) and soon the B30 will serve Arundel Mills.

[the resident09]

There will one day be High Speed rail that connects Union Station to Penn Station in Bmore within 15 mins. So the answer is no, that would be a complete waste of money. Now that day probably won't come for another 20-25 years at least. But it should happen at some point.

[NorthEast Coast 202]

Then again extending the silver line to Ashburn is crazy, that is TOO far.
The line should have ended at Reston.

[diablo234]

Originally Posted by NorthEast Coast 202

Then again extending the silver line to Ashburn is crazy, that is TOO far.
The line should have ended at Reston.

The whole purpose of the Silver Line was to connect Dulles Airport to DC so just building the Metro to Reston would be redundant. However I do agree with you on the fact that having the Silver Line running all the way to Loudon County is ridiculous since those stations will be nothing more than park & ride lots.

Anyways what would be the point of extending the Metro up to Baltimore or BWI Airport anyways given that MARC already runs trains from DC to Baltimore? It would make more sense to have MARC trains run more frequently as opposed to building completely new rail infrastructure which essentially parallels existing rail infrastructure.

[PurpleHaze1100]

Originally Posted by diablo234

The whole purpose of the Silver Line was to connect Dulles Airport to DC so just building the Metro to Reston would be redundant. However I do agree with you on the fact that having the Silver Line running all the way to Loudon County is ridiculous since those stations will be nothing more than park & ride lots.

Anyways what would be the point of extending the Metro up to Baltimore or BWI Airport anyways given that MARC already runs trains from DC to Baltimore? It would make more sense to have MARC trains run more frequently as opposed to building completely new rail infrastructure which essentially parallels existing rail infrastructure.

The point would be to give a direct connection from DC's metro rail system to BWI without DC area residents having to transfer trains just to get to the airport that serve the DC region. I am well aware that MARC serves BWI but the service is not frequent, and serves stations with low ridership. I mean Baltimore's Light Rail connects to BWI and Marc as well and they have just as many riders on both lines. This isn't to criticize or bash. Its just an idea. Maybe extending Green Line from Greenbelt to BWI, maybe not all the way into Baltimore but at least BWI with stations being added to Howard County and BWI area. Definitely would increase ridership.