Rail System

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.

Amtrak, America's national passenger railroad, is on a collision course.It can't fulfill its mission with the federal aid it gets ($788 million), and it can't ask passengers to pay much more in fares without losing their business to buses, cars and planes. Unless something is done to reverse this trend, Amtrak could be headed for a serious crash.The problem is simple. Congress has been unwilling to invest enough money in Amtrak to cover operating costs, much less pay for new equipment. So money earmarked for equipment replacement, maintenance and passenger stations is being diverted to keep the railroad up and running.

THE 106th Congress adjourned without approving a bill to strengthen the nation's high-speed rail system. That is disappointing. Retiring Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg, D-N.J., sponsored a bill to pump $10 billion in bond money into Amtrak's outdated infrastructure over 10 years. The measure got tossed into a wide-ranging funding bill, and when the smoke cleared, the High Speed Rail Investment Act was left on the table. Neither Mr. Lautenberg nor another key sponsor, Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, D-N.Y.

The honor system is out and inspectors are on the job on the Baltimore area's light rail system. The first 10 fare inspectors began work yesterday as part of an effort by the Maryland Transit Administration to crack down on free riders, a problem since the line opened in 1992. Richard Scher, an MTA spokesman, said the agency expects to put 25 more inspectors on the rails by year's end. The 35 unarmed inspectors will ask passengers for proof that they have paid the fare of $1.60 one way or $3.20 round trip.

Leaders of Baltimore's medical institutions, colleges and universities rallied yesterday in support of a proposed east-west light rail line from the city's eastern border to Woodlawn, calling it an essential part of a robust urban transit system. Representatives of such institutions as Mercy Medical Center, Johns Hopkins Bayview, the University of Maryland, Baltimore and Sojourner-Douglass College gathered at the UMB Biopark for an event organized by the Greater Baltimore Committee to show support for its preferred version of the so-called Red Line.

BALTIMORE'S FUTURE as a major rail and port complex is very much at stake in the $8.4 billion deal to merge the CSX and Conrail lines into what is touted as "the leading transportation company in the world." Both the numbers and the implications are staggering in a system with 29,000 miles of track, 52,000 employees, $14 billion in annual revenues and operations serving 22 states and 80 countries.For this old seaport town, with more than its share of adversity in BTC recent years, this development poses opportunities as well as dangers.

Maryland travelers have reason to give thanks for the $151 billion, six-year highway and transit legislation approved by Congress yesterday -- about 2.7 billion reasons, to be exact.The bill, which President Bush is expected to sign, passed the House 372-47 early yesterday morning and the Senate 79-8 in the afternoon. It will finance $1.9 billion in highway construction projects and provide about $800 million for mass transit in Maryland.But state transportation officials warned that Maryland could lose out on nearly a third of that money because the state'sailing Transportation Trust Fund might not be able to provide enough matching dollars.

Baltimore-area residents will get a chance next month to voice their opinions on the best approach for proposed mass transit service from Woodlawn to Canton. The Maryland Transit Administration will hold five community workshops starting May 11 to update residents on planning for the east-west Red Line, said Tony Brown, deputy director of MTA's planning office. State transportation officials say the Red Line would be either a light rail system or a bus rapid transit system - a bus system using dedicated roadways and tunnels for portions of the route.

CONGRESS APPROVED $1.2 billion last week to keep the national passenger rail system operating for another year. But don't expect much celebrating at Amtrak headquarters. It means another year of just getting by. More deferred maintenance and shabby equipment that can't be replaced. More delays caused by breakdowns. Let's just say that if Congress ran the Polar Express, Santa wouldn't be getting many visitors on Christmas Eve. And the kids could pretty much forget the complimentary hot chocolate and dancing waiters.

THE NATION'S passenger rail system shouldn't be treated like Oliver Twist - starved, orphaned and generally tormented. But Amtrak is, if you'll pardon the expression, getting the Dickens beaten out of it again under the guise of reform. The Bush administration has zeroed out Amtrak's budget to send a "wake-up call" to Capitol Hill. States would be expected to foot a significant share of the corporation's losses and, ultimately, privatize most of Amtrak's services. It's an ill-conceived plan.