BALTIMORE – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW), released the following statement regarding Maryland Governor Larry Hogan’s official notification to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) that he is cancelling the Red Line mass transit project in Baltimore City.

“Governor Hogan has promised to help Baltimore become a stronger city, but today he decided to officially pass on a prime opportunity to do just that. The governor has made his priorities clear and they do not include investing in Baltimore’s transportation infrastructure and economic growth. For more than a decade, this project has been talked about, analyzed and debated. Anyone who lives, works or plays in Baltimore knows that the current mass transit system, and the city as a whole, is in need of new investment. Yet the Hogan Administration has flatly rejected the $900 million federal share of that investment. The governor has rejected the jobs, congestion reduction, and growth the Red Line would create. He rejected so much of what Baltimore needs, especially at the time that it needs it most.

“To erase any lingering doubts that transportation improvements in Baltimore are not a priority, the Hogan Administration has decided to spend money the state had specifically set aside for the Red Line on other projects across Maryland.  When pressed about what his administration plans to do in lieu of a state-of-the-art rail system, anchored by the strong financial backing of the federal government, the governor offers little more than making the buses run on time. That’s a conspicuously low bar and the people of Baltimore deserve better.”   

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