BALTIMORE — The Red Line is back, at least the early stages are underway.
Governor Wes Moore announced the revitalization of the multi-billion dollar project that was scrapped by the previous administration this afternoon.
"We need to make sure that everyone in the region can get from where they live to where opportunity lies whether that’s in West Baltimore or East Baltimore County. Sticking together it is clear we are moving with an urgency our community demands and that our community needs," said Moore.
A lot of the details are still being worked out and this project is going to take a long time.
The governor set a timeline of late 2026 and early 2027 for construction to begin.
He won’t commit to either buses or light rail for the new red line though.
The funding is also an issue – right now the state has $100 million in the transportation budget not allocated to play with but this project will cost billions.
The governor did say he expects this project to be on time and on budget, also saying he wants to get this done during his administration which would put a limit of 2030 if he’s elected to a second term.
Governor Moore mentioned this project could’ve been done by now if it wasn’t scrapped by the previous one, millions of dollars of investment in West and East Baltimore were pulled from the city and county.
RELATED: Origins and History of the Red Line in Baltimore
“It was very clear and a message was sent that Baltimore was not going to be a priority, they weren’t going to be a priority," said Moore.
Now the Governor is making Baltimore’s transit issues a priority.
It’s going to take help from the federal government and local government to get this done.
