BALTIMORE — The proposed red line is a 14-mile transit line that will connect east to west in Baltimore City.
The purpose is to make travel simpler, faster, and cheaper.
It's something Cameron Mueller-Harder says she is excited to learn more about.
“People have been working so hard on this plan, and now I get to come learn about it and say, 'Okay, how is this going to impact me? How is this going to impact other people? What does this actually look like?'" says Cameron Muller-Harder.
Since 2023, the Maryland Transit Administration has been working on fine-tuning the project after the relaunch; they've come up with three alternative routes for public feedback.
“There are a lot of things that we are still trying to figure out, like what would be the best way to go forward and how we can make those decisions. You know getting the communities involved and input is helpful in that," says Ken Melton.
Based on MTA’s study, each route would have transportation for an average of over 30,000 people living in the city from Security Square Mall to Bayview.
“We want to make sure that we can bring neighbors together. We want to make sure that we can bring people from the east side to the west side for jobs for entertainment, you know, for health benefits. So having that connectivity will just make us a stronger city," says Melton.
The overall route is something many people say the city needs.
“It's really important we live in Southern Mount Vernon, really close to downtown, and we have a car between the two of us, but to get around the city, especially to get east and west like the transit, is a lot more difficult," says Jake Montes-Adams.
Two of the route options are above ground and one is an underground tunnel, but all 3 options follow a similar route.
Muller-Harder says she would prefer option one, which places the light rail underground.
She says it makes the most sense to her when it comes to pedestrian traffic and simplicity getting on and off the train.
“So having it underground just sort of eliminates all of that just makes it a bit more streamlined and easy in addition to eliminating the traffic factor," says Cameron Muller-Harden.
When the project was first relaunched, Governor Moore said he hopes to deliver the project by 2028.
Even so, a lot of work remains, including finalizing the path of the line and funding it.
Once the planning phase is complete, MTA will pitch the finalized route option for grant funding.
The project could cost anywhere between four and eight billion dollars to complete.
There are 4 more open houses this week:
Wednesday, October 23, 3 p.m.- 5:30 p.m.
Baltimore War Memorial, 101 North Gay St., Baltimore, MD 21202
Wednesday, October 23, 6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Woodlawn High School, 1801 Woodlawn Dr., Gwynn Oak, MD 21207
Thursday, October 24, 6 p.m.- 8:30 p.m.
Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave., Baltimore, MD 21224
Saturday, October 26, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
Edmondson Westside High School, 501 North Athol Ave., Baltimore, MD 21229
