First came the demise of the $2.9 billion Red Line light rail project, then came the $138 million BaltimoreLink bus system project. Now a coalition of union and political interests are pushing for a "People's Alternative."
"Baltimore's transit workers union is asking bus riders to join them in calling for the state to rethink its overhaul of the bus system," reports Yvonne Wagner.
The union has also built a coalition of political support, according to Wagner. "Dels. Cheryl Glenn and Cory McCray, City Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke and City Councilman-elect John Bullock joined the union Monday to back its alternative to BaltimoreLink, the proposal of the Maryland Transit Administration."
Governor Larry Hogan proposed the $135 million BaltimoreLink project in October 2015 as a replacement for the cancelled Red Line light rail project. That project would have cost $2.9 billion, but Gov. Hogan's decision to cancel that project faced sharp criticism.
The union proposal, called the People's Alternative to BaltimoreLink, would spend $287 million to add a "rapid bus system along 14 miles of streets, additional stops along busy routes and a process to enable riders to pay their fares before boarding."
FULL STORY: Elected officials join transit workers union's call for changes to Baltimore bus plan
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