Letters: Readers respond to efforts to shut down light rail

Letters: Readers respond to efforts to shut down light rail
A light rail train pulls into the Ferndale station. Gov. Larry Hogan has rejected efforts to curb light rail service in northern Anne Arundel County. (JED KIRSCHBAUM / Baltimore Sun)
Light rail advantages

I was alarmed to read that there are people trying to limit light rail service to Anne Arundel County. I think that one of the great advantages of living in north county is having easy access to the light rail to get to Baltimore city and county.

I was so excited when the system first opened, that I took my little girls on a trip from the Cromwell station to Timonium and back, just to try it out. In more recent years my family has used it to visit back and forth with those same daughters and their families who now live, or have lived, in the city.


Over the years we have used the Cromwell, Ferndale, Linthicum, North Linthicum and both BWI stations to get to jobs and appointments, run errands, and go to fireworks, concerts, festivals, ball games and many other special events. Some of my husband's co-workers use it to get to their jobs at BWI airport, and I have seen many travelers using it to get to and from their flights.

If there are problems with crime associated with the light rail, then the county and state governments should be ashamed. The system has been in the county for over 25 years, why hasn't law enforcement done during that time to fix the problems!

The light rail is a wonderful resource, we need more access to public transportation, not less. Please, let's keep full-service light rail in Anne Arundel County!


Glen Burnie

Disrupted service

If northern Anne Arundel County residents have learned one thing, it is that the people who were coming to our community via light rail have suddenly run out of money (as service has been disrupted by flooding damage).

Many of the business owners and workers located at the kiss and go stop in Linthicum, as well as homeowners in the area, can agree on is that something has changed for the better.

Thank you MTA bus operators for ensuring everyone who boards has a paid pass to enter, for it has completely cut out the panhandlers, petty theft opportunists, and even home invaders who are more afraid of a bus operator kicking them off then any light rail fare attendant.



Light rail is needed

Political candidate Tim Walter’s comments (The Capital, Aug. 3) on the light rail and call for a “study” seem to create a “wall” against extending the light rail system, such as to Annapolis. He even suggests shutting the current light rail system down to gather facts regarding its impacts, presumably good and bad.

I doubt that a “shutdown” for a “measurable trial period” would produce actionable results. It would simply send passengers away and cause disruptions that are self-ratifying for those who don’t like the light rail option. As an alternative, it might be more practical to do surveys of current and prospective passengers.

Since Annapolis is the capital of Maryland, thousands of state employees and other daily commuters sit in backups every day. Annapolis also has a significant student population and boat show following, not to mention the occasional Navy stadium events, all of which have parking as well as traffic issues.

Corridor traffic to and from BWI has peaks and valleys, but the peaks are pretty bad. Light rail between BWI and Annapolis seems to be needed.


With broader accessibility via light rail and supporting circulator buses, Annapolis traffic would flow better, limited parking would be less of an issue, and tourist customers would increase for Annapolis merchants. The “turnover” of failed Main Street businesses and commercial buildings would go down. Profits and sales tax revenues (as well as property values and property tax revenues) would go up.