Maryland 2022 2022 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB778 Introduced / Bill

Filed 02/03/2022

                     
 
EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW. 
        [Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law. 
          *hb0778*  
  
HOUSE BILL 778 
R2   	2lr1563 
    	CF SB 514 
By: Delegates Solomon, Bartlett, Brooks, Carr, Chang, Charkoudian, Charles, 
W. Fisher, Fraser–Hidalgo, Hill, Hornberger, Kerr, Korman, Lehman, 
J. Lewis, Love, Luedtke, Rogers, Shetty, Smith, Terrasa, Thiam, Watson, 
Williams, K. Young, and P. Young 
Introduced and read first time: February 3, 2022 
Assigned to: Appropriations 
 
A BILL ENTITLED 
 
AN ACT concerning 1 
 
Transportation – Investment Program – MARC Rail Service 2 
(Maryland Regional Rail Transformation Act) 3 
 
FOR the purpose of requiring the Maryland Transit Administration to establish certain 4 
investment programs for enhancing certain rail lines and services operated by the 5 
Maryland Area Regional Commuter rail service; requiring the Administration to 6 
advance certain rail projects in a certain fiscal year; requiring the Administration to 7 
conduct a certain study; and generally relating to the Maryland Area Regional 8 
Commuter rail service and the enhancement of rail services. 9 
 
BY adding to 10 
 Article – Transportation 11 
Section 7–311 12 
 Annotated Code of Maryland 13 
 (2020 Replacement Volume and 2021 Supplement) 14 
 
Preamble 15 
 
 WHEREAS, The Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC) rail service connects 16 
Baltimore and Washington, D.C. to many of Maryland’s suburban communities; and 17 
 
 WHEREAS, The State must advance the Maryland Transit Administration’s MARC 18 
Cornerstone Plan and other MARC improvements to unlock a truly regional rail system 19 
that reliably services more Maryland communities and connects to Virginia and Delaware; 20 
now, therefore, 21 
 
 SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 22 
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 23  2 	HOUSE BILL 778  
 
 
 
Article – Transportation 1 
 
7–311. 2 
 
 (A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 3 
INDICATED. 4 
 
 (2) “MARC” MEANS THE MARYLAND AREA REGIONAL COMMUTER 5 
RAIL SERVICE. 6 
 
 (3) “MARC CORNERSTONE PLAN” MEANS THE PLAN ESTABLISHED 7 
BY THE ADMINISTRATION TO TRANSLATE THE ADMINISTRATION ’S TRANSIT VISION 8 
STATEMENT INTO STRATEGIC PRIOR ITIES, POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND INITIATIVES 9 
FOR MARC RAIL SERVICE.  10 
 
 (4) “TRANSIT VISION STATEM ENT” MEANS THE ADMINISTRATION ’S 11 
OBJECTIVE TO PROVIDE SAFE, EFFICIENT, AND RELIABLE TRANSIT ACCESS ACROSS 12 
MARYLAND WITH WORLD –CLASS CUSTOMER SERVI CE. 13 
 
 (B) (1) THE ADMINISTRATION SHALL ESTABLISH INDI VIDUAL 14 
INVESTMENT PROGRAMS TO ADVANCE THE MARC CORNERSTONE PLAN AND 15 
OTHER MARC IMPROVEMENTS BY PROVIDING INCREMENTAL ENHANCEM ENTS 16 
FOR: 17 
 
 (I) THE BRUNSWICK LINE; 18 
 
 (II) THE CAMDEN LINE; 19 
 
 (III) THE PENN LINE; 20 
 
 (IV) NEW REGIONAL SERVICE 	BETWEEN PERRYVILLE, 21 
MARYLAND AND NEWARK, DELAWARE; 22 
 
 (V) NEW REGIONAL RUN –THROUGH RAIL SERVICE TO 23 
ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA; AND 24 
 
 (VI) EXTENDING THE BRUNSWICK LINE TO BETTER SERVE 25 
WESTERN MARYLAND. 26 
 
 (2) EACH INVESTMENT PROGR AM ESTABLISHED UNDER PARAGRAPH 27 
(1) OF THIS SUBSECTION S HALL: 28 
 
 (I) COMMENCE IN FISCAL YEAR 2023; 29   	HOUSE BILL 778 	3 
 
 
 
 (II) INCLUDE A REVIEW OF EXISTING RAIL OPE RATIONS, 1 
INFRASTRUCTURE , AND RIGHT–OF–WAY INFORMATION TO C ONFIRM EXISTING 2 
CONDITIONS; 3 
 
 (III) INCLUDE RAIL SIMULATI ON MODELS FOR EACH O F THE 4 
CURRENT CORRIDORS SE RVED BY MARC AND AREAS IDENTIFIED FOR NEW 5 
SERVICE; 6 
 
 (IV) IDENTIFY FUTURE OPERA TING SCENARIOS THAT CAN 7 
IMPROVE SERVICE , INCLUDING NEW MIDDAY , WEEKEND, EVENING,  8 
THROUGH–RUNNING, AND BIDIRECTIONAL SE RVICE; 9 
 
 (V) DEVELOP CONCEPTUAL LE VEL IMPROVEMENT PLAN S TO 10 
ENHANCE MARC’S SERVICE OVER TIME, INCLUDING: 11 
 
 1. CONCEPT PLANS FOR HIG	HEST–VALUE 12 
INFRASTRUCTURE IMPRO VEMENTS IDENTIFIED B Y THE SIMULATION MODELS; 13 
 
 2. NEW STATIONS OR STATI ON ENHANCEMENTS ; AND 14 
 
 3. IMPROVEMENTS TO ENHAN CE ACCESS TO JOBS AN D 15 
HOUSING IN NEIGHBORI NG JURISDICTIONS; AND 16 
 
 (VI) IDENTIFY A 5–YEAR PRIORITY SET OF CAPITAL PROJECTS 17 
AND ACTIVITIES TO IM PLEMENT PLANNED IMPROVEMENTS TO BE F UNDED IN THE 18 
CONSOLIDATED TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM. 19 
 
 (3) IN FISCAL YEAR 2028 AND EVERY FIFTH FISCAL YEAR 20 
THEREAFTER , THE ADMINISTRATION SHALL UPDATE EACH INVESTME NT PROGRAM 21 
ESTABLISHED UNDER TH IS SUBSECTION. 22 
 
 (C) IN FISCAL YEAR 2023, THE ADMINISTRATION SHALL ADVANCE THE 23 
FOLLOWING RAIL PRIOR ITY PROJECTS AS PART OF THE INVESTMENT PROGR AMS 24 
REQUIRED UNDER SUBSE CTION (B) OF THIS SECTION: 25 
 
 (1) IN COORDINATION WITH THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, VIRGINIA, 26 
THE VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS, AMTRAK, AND CSX, DEVELOP A SERVICE AND 27 
OPERATIONS PLAN FOR MARC THROUGH–RUNNING TO ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA; 28 
 
 (2) IN COORDINATION WITH DELAWARE, PENNSYLVANIA , THE 29 
SOUTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY (SEPTA), AND 30 
AMTRAK, DEVELOP A SERVICE AN D OPERATIONS PLAN FO R MARC, SEPTA, OR 31  4 	HOUSE BILL 778  
 
 
AMTRAK TO RUN COMPETI TIVE TRANSIT SCHEDUL ES BETWEEN PERRYVILLE, 1 
MARYLAND AND NEWARK, DELAWARE; 2 
 
 (3) COMPLETE 30% OF THE DESIGN FOR A NEW ELKTON INFILL 3 
MARC STATION ON THE PENN LINE; 4 
 
 (4) COMPLETE 30% OF THE DESIGN FOR A NEW BAYVIEW INFILL 5 
MARC STATION ON THE PENN LINE; 6 
 
 (5) COMPLETE 30% OF THE DESIGN FOR : 7 
 
 (I) A THIRD TRAC K BETWEEN ROCKVILLE AND GERMANTOWN 8 
ON MARC’S BRUNSWICK LINE TO BETTER SERVE WESTERN MARYLAND AND 9 
EXISTING COMMUNI TIES SERVED BY THE L INE; AND 10 
 
 (II) GERMANTOWN STATION IMPROVEMENTS ; 11 
 
 (6) COMPLETE 15% OF THE DESIGN FOR A FOURTH TRACK ON THE 12 
PENN LINE; AND 13 
 
 (7) HIRE THREE FULL–TIME EQUIVALENT (FTE) STAFF AT A COST OF 14 
APPROXIMATELY $450,000 ANNUALLY BEGINNING I N FISCAL YEAR 2023 FOR THE 15 
ADMINISTRATION ’S PLANNING AND CAPIT AL PROGRAMMING TO EN SURE THE 16 
ADMINISTRATION HAS AD EQUATE STAFF RESOURC ES TO LEVERAGE FEDERAL RAIL 17 
FUNDING. 18 
 
 SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That : 19 
 
 (a) The Maryland Transit Administration shall conduct a MARC Cornerstone 20 
Plan Implementation Study. 21 
 
 (b) The study shall assess and present for public review: 22 
 
 (1) the total expected cost to implement:  23 
 
 (i) the entire MARC Cornerstone Plan; 24 
 
 (ii) Maryland–Virginia through–running rail service; 25 
 
 (iii) Maryland–Delaware through–running rail service; and 26 
 
 (iv) Western Maryland MARC extension programs;  27 
 
 (2) the total expected cost of the first 5–year capital program for Brunswick 28 
Line, Camden Line, Penn Line, Maryland–Virginia through–running, Maryland–Delaware 29   	HOUSE BILL 778 	5 
 
 
through–running, and Western Maryland extension rail services; 1 
 
 (3) the Administration’s workforce needs to efficiently implement the 2 
MARC Cornerstone Plan, Maryland–Delaware through–running, and Western Maryland 3 
extension rail services, including a staffing and compensation comparison between MARC 4 
and peer regional railroads throughout the United States; and 5 
 
 (4) efficient and achievable methods by which the rail capital investments 6 
and services identified and analyzed under this subsection should be funded. 7 
 
 (c) In developing the study, the Administration shall consult with regional 8 
private entities, including leading employers, labor representatives, transit rider advisory 9 
committees, and regional planning boards. 10 
 
 (d) (1) On or before December 1, 2022, the Administration shall submit to the 11 
Governor and, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, the General 12 
Assembly an executive summary and report of its findings and recommendations from the 13 
study. 14 
 
 (2) The Administration shall post the executive summary and report 15 
required under paragraph (1) of this subsection on the website of the Administration. 16 
 
 SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 17 
1, 2022. 18