Episode Details
Back to EpisodesBaltimore's Transit Future: The Red Line
Description
We explore the revived Baltimore Red Line light rail project with Jerome Horne, Deputy Communications Director, who explains how this 14-mile east-west corridor will transform transportation across the city while potentially healing historical urban scars.
• The Red Line project dates back to 2002 planning but was canceled in 2015 just before construction began
• Governor Wes Moore resurrected the project in 2023, recognizing its vital importance to Baltimore's transportation network
• Three route alternatives are under consideration, balancing tunneled sections versus surface routes
• The project will connect with existing light rail, metro subway, and regional rail systems
• The Red Line could help rectify harm done by the "Highway to Nowhere" that displaced Black communities
• Expected $19 billion economic impact through construction jobs, operations positions, and transit-oriented development
• Community engagement focuses on preventing displacement while encouraging appropriate density
• Jerome shares his personal journey from music education to transit advocacy, starting with an email to a transit CEO at age 10
Learn more about the Baltimore Red Line at redlinemaryland.com or follow @RedLineMaryland on social media.