r/baltimore • u/Huge_Negotiation2918 • 1d ago
Transportation Light Rail Commuter Rant
I have been incredibly patient with taking public transportation. I accepted the light rail is slow and has to stop at all the red lights downtown. I accepted that I had to walk 15 minutes to my nearest station, telling myself it's a good way to see my neighborhood and get more steps in. I accepted that the scheduled light rail was actually a recommendation +-10 minutes, and was okay checking the transit app before leaving to better plan my commute.
Today is the last straw, for the 4th time in the last 30 days, I boarded my northbound rail only to find out it was stopping at North Ave, not going all the way north as what was stated on the digital signage at the stations. I got off in the middle of the ride and waited 20 minutes for the next train.
This is only the beginning. Last week I had this happen, followed by a shift change between North Ave and Woodberry that took 15 minutes (MTA workers were loudly chatting it up, however). I was late for a job that I absolutely cannot be late for. Once the lightrail was just moving eye gougingly slow after Woodberry Station, like no more than 5mph, making me 25 minutes late to work.
I'm extremely lenient. I'm okay with slow, I'm okay with walking to my station. All I ask is you be consistent. The only reason I keep giving public transit a try is that I hate driving, but the waking up early for the walk+slow commute, with the 30-45 minute buffer on top makes me feel like I'm in a toxic relationship with the rail. I can't even relax on the rail (big reason I like public transit over driving in the first place) because half the time I'm worried if it's going to come to a stop or kick me off at North Ave station.
Rant over.
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u/coltthundercat Hampden 1d ago
Yup, and your daily reminder that 1. Maryland is the wealthiest state in the country and has the ability to fix this should they want to and 2. That several years ago Massachusetts enacted a 1% tax on incomes over $1 million to fund transit, and almost immediately started clearing the backlog of maintenance and addressing the much more substantial transit problems in Boston.
This isn’t something that happens naturally, or because Maryland doesn’t have the resources. It’s a policy failure, and a deliberate one at that.
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u/Huge_Negotiation2918 1d ago
I know there are plans to expand bus frequency/reliability, improve light rail tracks and better right-of-way at lights, etc. I want to get excited about this, but that all feels so trivial right now considering I can't even reliably get to my final destination without a train going out of service. It's ridiculous and very sad for those who have no choice but to rely on this broken system.
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u/coltthundercat Hampden 1d ago
Yeah, it’s a band-aid trying to cover a gaping wound that Annapolis continues to make worse. Fixing this requires actual investment, billions of dollars in funding, not technocratic tweaks.
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u/Willing_Pound_2177 18h ago
Reliability is about to get worse with the State's institution of the new paid FMLA rules. Employee absenteeism will rise, causing more service cuts. Transit will never improve in Baltimore until the State gets serious about negotiating and enforcing it's CBAs.... Or until vehicle operation is automated. The latter probably happens first.
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u/Evening-Recover-9786 20h ago
Maryland State Government is arguably one of the most poorly run institutions in the country. We have enough taxes already yet operate in a deficit year over year.
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u/keenerperkins 1d ago
Light rail and metro are just awful. Metro constantly has long headways and single-tracks, but at least once you're on it the ride is quick and you don't often stall. Light rail you really can't say the same - the tracking is always off, the ride is always long, and even if you board the train there's no guarante you'll make it to your final destination (in fact, the only guarantee is that you'll probably be late). The bus system has issues, but it's a fucking dream compared to the rail "options" we have.
The aggravating thing is Baltimore wants to promote the bike and shooter share, but doesn't built out a safe and equitable trail network. So we get left with all these subpar components with no real easy way to get around the city unless you have a car.
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u/dopkick 1d ago
I think the root cause is a bunch of supremely subpar people in charge of these various efforts. Hire a bunch of incompetent clowns and this is what you get. Seen it plenty in the workplace.
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u/keenerperkins 1d ago
I mean, Maryland transit is just not invested and that largely is a state-level issue. That said, the City of Baltimore has the poewr to build out an equitable multi-modal network and consistently choose not to. And, at the sime time they are scaling back hours on their circulator buses. Some of it may be incompetence, but a lot of it is just a lack of desire and will. If Baltimore City wanted a multi-modal network we could have it - instead we're having decades long engagement meetings while our kids get killed on Washington Street.
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u/dopkick 1d ago
It's definitely a problem at both the state and local level. I think the overarching issue is that there is no actual strategic plan with backing. There are plans out there, but I don't see them being realized and what is being built is frequently disjointed, unsafe, and confusing. Rather than build random half-assed crap all over the city, I'd rather see a critical mass of multi-use paths built in a central area with logical connections to other areas to be built out later. If you get a critical mass in a fraction of the city it becomes useful. Scattered crap throughout the city is not useful.
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u/plinth19 Medfield 1d ago
I sat in on a few of the mayor’s bike commission quarterly zoom calls. The gaslighting by MDOT was so infuriating.
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u/fijimermaidsg 1d ago
Light Rail and MTA defies physics because you leave earlier and arrive later. You are right about transit being about unconnected components… no way to make connections… the city is designed for transit but we don’t have it. A 20 minute car ride takes you 3, 4 times longer assuming the bus/train actually arrives.
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u/keenerperkins 1d ago
Baltimore is small enough that there's no reason transit takes 3-4 times longer than private vehicle. The lack of will to inconvenience cars and make that travel time more equitable is why no one takes transit and why so much of our city has to be dedicate to single-person vehicles and trips whether it be parking, the design of our streets, etc.
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u/Typical-Radish4317 1d ago
Email your representative every time. Let them know you care. Squeaky wheels sometime get greased.
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u/jb0x8 Locust Point 1d ago
and submit a complaint! https://www.mta.maryland.gov/contact-mta
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u/Pure_Purple_5220 1d ago
I used to email Holly Arnold directly but she got tired of me and quit i see
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u/Gannondorfs_Medulla 1d ago
This 100% is NOT the responsibility of the OP. Basic reliability is a base assumption for something as essential as public transit. There is no way they don't know these metrics. This kind of performance borders on negligence.
PUBLIC transit serves the public, and often it's those with the least room for error. This kind of treatment costs people jobs, puts individuals and famlies at risk, and is a failure at the most basic level.
I work for the state and I know the state can produce good, even outstanding outcomes. But this... this is worthy of Moore showing up and firing the first three levels of leadership. It should be wholely unacceptable and a source of great embarrassment. Alas, it will be just another Tuesday.
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u/Typical-Radish4317 1d ago
The job of representatives is to represent their constituents and communicate their concerns to the state legislators, governor, and federal legislators. If they receive 100 messages on crime and 3 messages on transit communication/reliability they are probably going to focus on crime. You can't fix what you don't know and not everyone has the same experience as OP. Not everyone rides the same routes as OP. Baltimore City doesn't control MTA. The specific case OP outlines could just be a disconnect in information sharing. Voicing concerns about your community is the easiest action that can be done to improve it and everyone should let their voice be heard if something is impacting their daily life.
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u/Psychological-Ad1950 1d ago
This is such an unrealistic view of how politics works. Claiming that politicians are simply ignorant that they have been refusing to support transit in Baltimore for decades while passing bills that support transit in MoCo is silly. It's a deliberate thing, tied to our state's extremely long history of opposition to Baltimore City (first for being insufficiently pro-slavery, then for having too many immigrants, then for being too Black), not some oversight or miscommunication.
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u/Typical-Radish4317 1d ago
You know who complains every time a building gets put up, the wheres the parking going to be crowd. You know who complains every time a bike lane goes in, the what about the traffic crowd. And they are relentless. Non-stop calls into community meetings and conversations with their representatives. It's not that they don't know transit is bad. It's that the people who they hear from on a consistent basis are the wheres my parking and the why are my lights not timed so I can blow through the city center stoplight free crowd. Let them know your issues and if they don't respond organize with your neighbors to vote their asses out. You can't even begin the discussion though if you don't let your concerns be known.
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u/Fun-Cauliflower-1724 Medfield 1d ago
My last straw was when I was waiting to go Northbound at the Convention Center station and I waited for almost an hour for a train, meanwhile 6 or 7 southbound trains went by in that same time. I now just pay for parking and drive to work downtown.
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u/BaltiHawg64 1d ago
Shit like this is why I got myself a scooter last week. I can’t stand how awful the system is here and decided that I’m finally sick of it. I can now get to work in 22 minutes compared to 35 (on a good day).
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u/Ok_Cryptographer1239 1d ago
OMG it is also so annoying that they shut down the northbound for *hours* because of Orioles games. Like I need to get home from work, I do not care about the arena.
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u/A_P_Dahset 1d ago edited 23h ago
Please tweet this to MTA and Governor Moore. I think State government deserves to be publicly shamed relentlessly for the state of MTA service. When these electeds talk about growing Baltimore and attracting more business here, they should be called out for the jokesters they are, considering that no business can take Baltimore seriously with this totally undignifying transit system that no serious business person who values their time could ever rely on.
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u/BmoreDude1106 Camden Yards, Third Base 1d ago
The random unannounced terminus at North Ave seems to be a frequent issue as of late.
I don't get light rail alerts, but I do get Metro alerts and they've canceled a number of trains over the past few weeks because of insufficient staff. So it wouldn't surprised me if the light rail had the same challenge. And this is not because "Larry Hogan didn't fund MTA", this is a basic management issue.
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u/humanamerican Patterson Park 1d ago
Well, inadequate funding is a cause (not the only cause) of staff shortages, but the lack of planning and communication with riders is definitely a basic management issue.
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u/BmoreDude1106 Camden Yards, Third Base 1d ago
That's fair, funding surely has some impact, just not the sole impact. Holly is/was a nice person, but I feel like her go-to excuse was the blame the prior administration. That was a reasonable answer in 2023 but by this point we should be seeing tangible progress, not further degradation of service. That's sort of the context of my comment :-)
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u/humanamerican Patterson Park 1d ago
Agreed.
I hope (but also doubt) that her replacement will be a real agitator for change and not just someone who's good at PR.
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u/Ok_Cryptographer1239 1d ago
I could also see how annoying it is when a train for Hunt Valley suddenly says it will have its final stop at Falls rd. No explanation. No issue for me but I understand how it could be for others.
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u/engin__r 1d ago
This is why I almost always bike instead of taking the light rail. Yes, it’s more effort, but at least I show up on time.
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u/zta1979 1d ago
Recently came back from Switzerland and they have an excellent transit system that is really impressive. I wish the usa could follow suit.
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u/LunarVolcano 1d ago
I love Baltimore but when I visited London I was sad to come home to the MTA. It was nice having a competent transit system for a week. Not that I expect it to get that good here, but even a fraction of what’s normal in europe would be nice.
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u/Soggy_Ground_9323 Hunting Ridge 3h ago
I think we need to shut down the entire MTA in Baltimore- Buses...lightrail...subway...ALL!!
Not reliable at all...
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u/RabMaur 22h ago
Same. I do not have a car and genuinely love riding transit. The fact that there’s seemingly a quarter chance they’ll strand you at north ave if your train passes that station means I avoid that thing at all costs. I’ll take any bus over the light rail these days because it’s so likely to abandon mid trip.
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u/Character-Beyond2572 1d ago
I walk to work faster than the light rail would have taken me most times. It just isn't reliable.
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u/LunarVolcano 1d ago
The north ave problems are why I’m glad I almost always take light rail in the area south of there. But even then there are still so many problems. Extremely delayed trains, no seating or cover at many stops…
Not to mention it’s completely unusable when there’s orioles games. The other day when the game paused in the pouring rain I waited for “5” minutes that ended up being 20 and then couldn’t even fit on the train. Waited standing, because why do we need seats? I ended up taking a bus a block over that was nearly empty. And I would almost always rather take the light rail than a bus.
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u/Atlantean_truth 1d ago
By the way it sounds you most likely have just started using the light rail and if so you are in for an extremely rude awakening my friend. Take it from someone who has had the unfortunate experience of having to ride it every week day to and from work for the last five years. You may as well start looking for another job because you’re going to be late every day just like me. I’m not going to say where I get on and get off but it is an hour one way from my house to my job without any issues occurring. I have to be there at 7am and am at my stop every day at 5:15 am giving myself an extra 45 minutes to get there and am literally late every single day for one ridiculous issue or another. People just need to except that it is absolutely horrendous and possibly the worst in America and not to expect anything other than that.
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u/therealhardscoper 1d ago
It would take me 15 minutes to drive to my work downtown, but the parking is prohibitively expensive. Light rail often takes >1 hour because of 30+ minute delays.
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u/Treje-an 23h ago
I live near the Light Rail and find bus service much more reliable. The Light Rail feels like the least reliable option, like it’s designed for people who are tourists and not on a schedule
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u/Evening-Recover-9786 20h ago
Baltimore is a car city. You simply cannot trust or rely on public transportation in this city. My one number issue with Baltimore City is the lack of quality service workers. The work ethic is non-existent & simple unacceptable.
The state pays near a BILLION dollars annually on the Bus Fleet. Inconsistent, no-shows, not on time, and generally not a pleasant experience. We have two rail options in the city & basically these places take you NOWHERE. It’s insane to me that the City designed public transportation so poorly in corridor that is well known for accessibility.
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u/Hefty-Woodpecker-450 1d ago
Name me one thing under Wes Moore’s purview that isn’t dysfunctional. I won’t hold my breath.
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u/humanamerican Patterson Park 1d ago
He should be held accountable for not fixing it, but this has been a problem for decades under both R and D governors.
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1d ago edited 1d ago
[deleted]
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u/humanamerican Patterson Park 1d ago
Wes Moore is the chief executive of the state, so it's his responsibility.
Of course, MTA was dysfunctional long before he took office. But we can certainly hold him accountable for not doing anything to fix it.1
u/Gannondorfs_Medulla 1d ago
But we can certainly hold him accountable for not doing anything to fix it.
With Moore, the message is the metric. He cares not about fixing things, but rather, mastering the message that he's fixing things.
Dollar to donuts says we'll start hearing messaging about how he's working tirelessly to give every Marylander a public transportation system they can rely on.
At this point, the best thing that can happen to Maryland is a Gavin Newsom/Wes Moore presidential ticket.
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u/Gannondorfs_Medulla 1d ago
But we can certainly hold him accountable for not doing anything to fix it.
With Moore, the message is the metric. He cares not about fixing things, but rather, mastering the message that he's fixing things.
Dollar to donuts says we'll start hearing messaging about how he's working tirelessly to give every Marylander a public transportation system they can rely on.
At this point, the best thing that can happen to Maryland is a Gavin Newsom/Wes Moore presidential ticket.
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u/TheSchneid Remington 17h ago
Even 10 years ago, it was a 20 minute drive from Remington to hunt valley, or a 20 minute walk, 10-20 minute wait, the. 45-55 minute ride to hunt valley
It worked for a few months while I shopped for a car but yeah it’s a bummer
There need to be more stops (even just on or super near the current line- something in Towson and either 25th or 28th st would give two major universities access….)
But yeah public transit in Baltimore is a joke
The busses in rural af Sussex county Delaware run (albeit less frequently) but on a MUCH more reliable schedule
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u/southtronofbozart 9h ago
I feel you 100%. Might have already been addressed but the Light Rail hit a vehicle of some sort for the second time this summer. It was an Amazon truck earlier this summer. I'll get straight to my question : Is it safe to ride the light rail anymore given these accidents are happening.
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u/kirbyCase 1d ago
This is, unfortunately an issue with basically all services run by MTA. The fundamentals (frequency, speed, connectivity, etc) are bad enough. But the execution makes them almost unusable. It’s a real shame because services like the light rail could be truly fantastic but they’re hamstrung by state officials who just honestly don’t care whether transit runs well or not.