Light Rail

A light-rail train and a vehicle collided at the intersection of Howard and Lexington streets in Baltimore on Tuesday, a Maryland Transit Administration spokesman said. A car turned into the path of a train around 3:56 p.m., said MTA spokesman Terry Owens. He said one light rail rider claimed injury but refused treatment when medics arrived. The driver of the vehicle was not injured, he said. Service was delayed for about a half-hour until the medic arrived, Owens said. The driver of the vehicle is believed to be at fault, he said, but added that the crash was still under investigation.

It's a good thing the folks at the Mass Transit Administration don't take their cues from their boss, Gov. William Donald Schaefer.MTA officials who oversee the Central Light Rail Line that runs between Timonium and Glen Burnie were alarmed at the increase in crime statistics along the line: 71 incidents of assaults, robberies and car thefts on or near the light rail system from June to December last year. On top of that was a sharp rise in shoplifting at some stores near the line. The MTA, to its credit, admitted that it underestimated the vulnerability of the light rail system it unveiled two years ago and now is taking corrective measures.

Anne Arundel County police said Wednesday they've charged five people after investigating alleged drug dealing at the Cromwell Light Rail Station in Glen Burnie. Detectives performed a two-day undercover investigation last week at the station along with Maryland Transit Administration officers. The detectives charged three people with selling drugs to the officers, a fourth person with drug possession and a fifth person with violating probation. During the investigation, the officers seized 15 suspected Xanax pills, 7.62 grams of suspected marijuana, 21 suspected Promethazine pills and $340.

The American Public Transportation Association reports that public transit use in America is growing fast. Last year, rail and bus systems provided 9.7 billion trips. That's 25.1 percent growth over the past decade, compared with 22.5 percent growth for highways. And within the public transit world, the fastest-growing mode is - drum roll, please - light rail. From New Jersey to Los Angeles, the various forms of light rail, from modern streetcars (like Baltimore's) to heritage trolleys, are reporting double-digit ridership increases.

Exploiting fear is one of the cheapest tactics a public official can use. That hasn't stopped police chief Robert Russell from dramatically denouncing light rail as "a pipeline of evil." Or Council Chairman Edward Middlebrooks from predicting the whole county will turn into a den of iniquity if the rail line creeps southward.Light rail has emerged as a convenient tool in what could end up being the nastiest race in the county -- the District 32 state Senate race. Mr. Middlebrooks, who just switched his party affiliation to the GOP, is expected to run against incumbent and Democratic Party leader Michael J. Wagner.

Shuttle buses will replace light rail trains at five stations north of Timonium from May 5 to about June 30 as workers upgrade crossings in Hunt Valley. Riders who use the Warren Road, Gilroy Road, McCormick Road, Pepper Road and Hunt Valley stations should either board buses or bypass the closures and park at the 850-car space Timonium Road station, the Maryland Transit Administration said Thursday. Crews will replace worn track and shore up rail foundations — the first major work on the section since it opened in 1997.

To light rail naysayers who insist that nobody uses the trains except a few Orioles fans, we point to the most recent ridership survey. It demonstrates that the Central Light Rail Line is doing what mass transit should do: it's taking cars off the road.The survey, conducted by the Baltimore Metropolitan Council, shows 5,500 fewer cars are on the highways every weekday because people are using the trains to get to work.An impressive 70 percent of those surveyed said they use light rail to commute to or from their jobs; 46 percent said they could drive but like the train better.

The Central Light Rail Line, now three years old, took a large step toward maturity last week with the start of construction on three key additions. The system is now within reach of its true potential as a major transit facility for the metropolitan area.In two years it will be possible to ride the light rail to work in Hunt Valley, catch an Amtrak train at Penn Station or reach Baltimore-Washington International Airport and the surrounding business parks. The fledgling system is already carrying two-thirds of the passengers projected for 2010.