FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Report Outlines Historic Investment in Maintenance, Preservation Efforts
BALTIMORE, MD (July 1, 2022) – The Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA) today released its updated Capital Needs Inventory (CNI) and Prioritization Report, detailing the agency’s need to address more than $6.3 billion in capital costs over the next 10 years. The report, covering 2022 to 2031, highlights MDOT MTA’s progress in reducing a State of Good Repair backlog from 16.2% of all assets to 14.4% over the past three years. Expected levels of state and federal funding will reduce that number to 5.4% by 2027 and 1.3% by 2031 – meeting 98% of needs. The full report is available on the MDOT MTA website at https://mta.maryland.gov/CNI.
“MDOT MTA has prioritized State of Good Repair investments over the past several years, and we’re now seeing those results,” said MDOT MTA Administrator Holly Arnold. “Our continued investments will result in fewer maintenance-related interruptions to operations and improved reliability for our riders.”
MDOT MTA operates and maintains $12.6 billion in assets to provide transportation services throughout Maryland. Total needs have increased due to inflation, the cost of zero-emission buses (ZEBs), garage modernization for ZEB charging/fueling, light rail vehicle replacements and aging rail systems. Yet while 10-year funding needs increased by $600 million since 2019, the funding gap has decreased by more than $1.1 billion due to historic levels of investment.
Recent MDOT MTA projects have included replacement of Camden Station, the Kirk Bus Garage modernization, replacement of multiple Metro Subway interlockings, rehabilitation of Light Rail track and interlockings and ongoing construction of a heavy maintenance building for MARC Train locomotives at Riverside Yard. In addition, items planned for funding in the MDOT MTA Consolidated Transportation Program (CTP) between 2022 and 2031 include:
- Bus replacements ($1.1 billion, including zero-emission vehicles beginning in 2025);
- Metro SubwayLink railcar replacements ($332 million);
- MARC Train locomotive and railcar overhauls and replacements ($315 million);
- MARC Train track and guideway ($404 million);
- Metro SubwayLink and Light RailLink guideway ($300 million);
- Metro SubwayLink station upgrades ($236 million); and
- Elevator and escalator overhauls ($185 million).
“State of Good Repair” is the condition at which assets – such as trains, buses, stations, systems and other facilities – operate at full performance. A backlog of State of Good Repair preservation efforts can impact transit performance if left unaddressed, affecting reliability and service quality, although it does not indicate assets that are unsafe to operate. The MDOT MTA transit asset management program monitors the condition of its assets, and applies lifecycle management strategies to support full performance.
MDOT MTA is not alone in addressing its State of Good Repair backlog; transit agencies across the country face similar challenges, and the national State of Good Repair backlog is estimated at nearly $120 billion in 2021 dollars, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s 2019 Condition and Performance Report.
MDOT MTA will continue to pursue discretionary funding to further close the funding gap and address additional enhancement and expansion needs.
MDOT MTA is one of the largest multi-modal transit systems in the United States. MDOT MTA operates systems that include Local Bus, Commuter Bus, Light RailLink, Metro SubwayLink, MARC Train Service and a comprehensive Mobility paratransit network. MDOT MTA’s goal is to provide safe, efficient and reliable transit across Maryland with world-class customer service. As a participating agency in APTA’s Health and Safety Commitment Program, MDOT MTA is dedicated to keeping our employees and passengers safe throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. To learn more, visit mta.maryland.gov, check us out on Facebook at facebook.com/mtamaryland and follow us on Twitter @mtamaryland.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Paul Shepard
Office: 410-767-3935
Cell: 443-622-4181
pshepard@mdot.maryland.gov
Veronica Battisti
Office: 410-767-8748
Cell: 410-598-4168
vbattisti@mdot.maryland.gov
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