Mta

From the man who tried unsuccessfully to use his car as a getaway vehicle for a theft — but ultimately carried the loot to the Linthicum light rail station — to repeated damage that threatened to cost him a take-home car from work, Bruce Henkel has had enough of problems he says the station has brought to his neighborhood. The Anne Arundel County plumbing inspector lives a stone's throw from the station — as he says damage to his property indicates. In the past year, youths have pitched stones from the station that broke two windows and dented his take-home car, and damaged his home.

The Maryland Transit Administration will hold four open houses this month for area residents to share their views about designs for the 20 light rail stations planned along the east-west Red Line. The first meeting is scheduled for Saturday at Edmondson High School. At the open houses, members of the Red Line Station Area Advisory Committee will display results of their work over the past six months. According to the MTA, 250 community "stakeholders" have been participating in discussions aimed at planning locations, designs, access, development implications and other matters relating to stations along the 14-mile line from Woodlawn to Bayview.

After more than a decade of development, the Maryland Transit Administration plans to launch its often-delayed electronic fare payment system Tuesday — giving riders the option of using a plastic card to ride the Metro, light rail and local buses. MTA spokesman Terry Owens called the introduction of what will be known as the CharmCard a "huge step forward" for the agency. He said it will be "one of the largest integrated transit fare payment systems in the nation. " The system is similar to the electronic SmartTrip card that has been in use for more than 10 years on Washington's Metro subway and Metrobus systems, with which it will be interchangeable.

As a daily commuter who rides the Maryland Transit Administration's #11 bus northbound in the morning and southbound in the evening, I have to wonder: Could there be a more unreliable organization than the MTA? I have certainly never encountered one. The MTA must put forth a more significant effort to try to keep bus, train and light rail running on schedule than current results reflect. Two months ago, when I waited at a stop for two full hours while as many as four scheduled buses were no-shows, I called customer service - which offered absolutely no help.

At 21, Ralign Wells learned the skills it takes to navigate a 40-foot bus through the narrow streets of Baltimore. Two decades later, Wells will bring those abilities and more to the job of steering the Maryland Transit Administration, an agency with a $500 million budget and almost 3,000 employees. State Transportation Secretary Beverley Swaim-Staley announced Wednesday that she had chosen the 42-year-old former bus operator to take over what she called "the toughest job in state government" - Maryland transit administrator.

A 36-year-old Maryland Transit Administration employee pleaded guilty in Baltimore federal court to stealing $400,000 in bus fare. According to his plea agreement, David Mark Pattawi, who earned $60,174 a year working as a night repairman, used an electronic key to open fare boxes that hadn't been emptied during the day from January 2007 through March 2008. He will be sentenced Feb. 22. - Tricia Bishop

A penny for your thoughts but, please, not for your bus fare.The Mass Transit Administration is asking bus passengers not to insert pennies and half-dollars in the automatic fare counters beginning May 31.Officials claim the move will make the sorting of coins more efficient, keep costs down, prevent delays in boarding, and reduce their chances of making mistakes."

Baltimore area bus riders and the public in general will have four opportunities early next month to comment on the Mass Transit Administration's proposals to eliminate or reduce service on 17 bus lines while increasing fares. If the adjustments become effective as scheduled Jan. 31, they will be the deepest cutbacks ever proposed by the MTA.The MTA is under the gun because the recession has decreased its ridership, which in turn has reduced revenue. If fares are not increased now, the agency says, it will be unable to meet a legal mandate that requires it to cover half the operating costs from fares.

The Maryland Transit Administration has begun installing an advanced surveillance system at its Metro, MARC train and light rail stations to protect against terrorism and reduce crime, Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. announced yesterday. MTA officials held a news conference at the Camden Yards Light Rail and MARC station to demonstrate the new technology, which is designed to provide around-the-clock coverage at transit stations. Ehrlich said the MTA is one of the first transit agencies in the country to introduce the technology, which relies on digital security cameras and a computer software program to analyze images.

The Maryland Transit Administration announced Friday that it plans to fire two train operators for their roles in a light rail accident July 5 that killed two 17-year-old boys in Lutherville. The transit agency said it had completed an investigation of the accident in which Jarrett Peterson and Kyle Wankmiller were struck from behind as they walked on the tracks. The agency said it was "pursuing the termination" of the two train operators and will take disciplinary action against four other MTA employees.