DOCUMENT WITH MAPS & B'MORE CONGESTION REPORT
Roadmaps etc., & 2017 Baltimore congestion report
 
MAPS - WEBSITES  
Maryland railroads (including local short lines)
All MD passenger rail (live map)
Amtrak trains (live map)
MDOT Maryland Rail Map (freight/passgr rail by owner)

FIX MARYLAND RAIL
Our two pilot projects and related policy recommendations are a primary transportation feature of the 2023 Maryland Climate Partners coalition report for Governor Moore and his administration (see below). Our bold Climate Partners initiative is ongoing.

​Here's a summary (one-page draft document, 2022). We propose two ambitious pilot projects focused on two communities, to start fixing Maryland rail: 1) Curtis Bay, Baltimore, and, 2) south through Southern Maryland, using existing tracks, over the Potomac River into Virginia. For community justice, environmental and economic equity, to increase quality local, state and regional transit and connectivity, we propose: clean, state-run, reliable, expanded transit-connected rail for workers, commuters and goods. Rare federal funding for commuter, passenger & freight rail is on offer, and effective political partnerships provide models, such as the $3.7 billion project Transforming Rail in Virginia.  In our state, a shift is overdue to solar/wind overhead lines for electric-only trains, and modernized safe, tracks, railyards and port facilities. 

For a future where Eastern Shore saltwater intrusion and Annapolis and Baltimore flooding are slowed, bold leadership and a holistic process are required, instead of lawmakers backtracking on mandated climate policy. Our solution-oriented transportation recommendations - and accompanying co-benefits - prioritize long-term economic and environmental investments and returns, enabling our state to avoid the worst projected impacts of climate and pollution catastrophe. Our two proposed pilots merit close examination, planning and, yes, implementation, given 1) residents' noting even more coal dust than before, and the lengthy stand-off, in polluted Curtis Bay (long-suffering residents demand the state government deny CSX its coal pier permit renewal), and 2) the Key Bridge disaster's causing 24/7 congestion on regional roads.

CONTEXT 
As the shocking collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge reminds us, U.S. transportation systems are intertwined. Most are utilized, and paid for, at least in part. by the public. Common sense dictates that {shared} transportation ought to exist for the common good. The majority of U.S. roadways, waterways, bridges and ports are publicly owned, and public investments have yielded significant public benefits. 

When it comes U.S. railroads, the story is different. Most U.S. rail tracks - about 140,000 miles - are owned by, or shared with, a private freight rail monopoly, known as the "Class 1's". They are: CSX, Norfolk Southern (NS), BNSF, Kansas City Southern, and Union Pacific. These mammoth corporations have an obligation to operate as common carriers, i.e. in the public interest.  There are also over 600 short line and regional railroads, and some are classified as Class 2's or 3's. Some are privately owned, some government owned. 

The EPA states that U.S. transportation sector emits the most greenhouse gases. The dollar costs of continued burning of fossil fuels far outweighs that of the clean energy transition. The U.S. needs to rapidly change modes of moving people and goods, locally, regionally and nationally. The good news: our train tracks offer solutions (and co-benefits) hiding in plain sight. According to Solutionary Rail's Moonshot Modeshift analysis, transforming U.S. freight rail operations may have the most and fastest potential to reduce U.S. transportation greenhouse gases.

The Class 1's have influential friends in government, in business, and in the nonprofit world. Over the last 20 years, this all-powerful industry has spent $654 million on federal lobbying alone. With as little investment in workers and infrastructure as possible, and a focus on short term maximum gain, the Class 1's enjoy sky-high profits for its executives and shareholders . Class 1 railroad companies are repeatedly gifted large sums of taxpayer dollars, though their revenues indicate they could do their upgrades without taking government money.

A recent Maryland example: CSX's total revenue in 2023 was $14.66 billion, yet the corporation recently received an $11.5 million federal investment in battery electric locomotives in its Curtis Bay, Baltimore pier. A 2023 community-led report indicates that Curtis Bay residents are exposed to dangerous levels of coal dust, a toxic pollutant harmful to human health. Childhood asthma rates in Baltimore are 20%, twice the national average,  Residents and advocates are repeatedly protesting CSX's toxic coal operations, while CSX's operations there increase. CSX coal volume' was up 3% in 2023.
   
The corporation has expanded its Maryland public relations efforts. CSX donated $5 million to Baltimore's B&O Rail Museum and company CEO/President Joe Hinrichs is now leading a $30 million fundraising drive for the museum. CSX joined in the 'beautification' of Curtis Bay Elementary School in 2023! 

These few freight rail carriers comprise the most profitable industry in the U.S. Yet, as per the example above, the Class 1 carriers' shared negligent approach to their rail operations can mean endangerment or harm.  A second Baltimore example was CSX's 2014 crude oil trains blast zones, with an estimated 165,000 city residents and workers at risk for years.
 
Given the urgency for targeted, large-scale environmental justice and climate solutions, public education about each U.S. Class 1 rail carrier is required, along with thorough public cost/benefit analyses. 

Recent, widespread coverage over the Class 1's troubles - from railroad workers' lack of sick days, worsening freight rail shipping costs, conditions and service, to NS's toxic derailment accident in East Palestine - is beginning to shine a light on the Class 1 rail carriers. 

MARYLAND FREIGHT TRUCKS & RAIL: BIG PROBLEMS
As explained in american-rails.com, in the early 19th century, "Maryland is literally where it all began, at least in regards to common carrier systems".  Fast forward to 2024. Trucks carrying goods that could be on trains cause: expensive highway wear and tear, diesel air pollution, community endangerment, terrible land use, and accidents. Meanwhile, on most of our state's big train tracks, CSX and NS deploy and idle 2-3 miles-long diesel freight trains, near our rivers and bays, local roads, or traffic-clogged highways, such as directly above I-695 south of Baltimore. Often, they're near, blocking, or sharing tracks with, passenger trains, carrying mysterious hazardous or explosive goods in fragile rail cars, then depositing such in communities. Whew! A third CSX instance of such was the 2021 CSX coal pier explosion in Curtis Bay, South Baltimore. Diesel pollution from freight trains also impacts public health, as noted in The Guardian regarding California trains. In the fastest time frame possible, freight trains in Maryland should run on overhead electric power, using solar or wind energy. A mode shift from freight on diesel powered trucks to far more freight on rail is needed. Regional coordination is needed, as occurred after the Key Bridge disaster. To better understand harm and risks to communities and potential for change, open this color coded map by owner of train tracks.

MARYLAND CARS & PASSENGER RAIL: BIG PROBLEMS
Embarrassingly, Maryland highways and roads are notorious for being among the most traffic-clogged nationwide.
Transportation is our economy's single largest carbon emitter. Widening roads or focusing solely on electric cars means more traffic. Costly public highways handle about 70% of all vehicle miles traveled (VMT), although they only make up 13% of state roads. A bill recently introduced in the Maryland General Assembly,  The Transportation and Climate Alignment Act (TCA) increases government dollars for public transit while reducing VMT, thus potentially reducing carbon emmisions by as much as 60% by 2031, but only if the goals recommended are set and met. The TCA is a start to meeting the urgency of our mandated climate goals. What role must rail play? Currently, CSX and NS trains frequently disrupt Maryland's already-spotty Amtrak and MARC passenger rail service. Amtrak trains here run on electric overhead power. MARC trains need to be electrifIed with a completion date that aligns with the TCA. All passenger rail should also offer reliable, expanded schedules and better active transport connectivity. To see the huge geographic gaps in Maryland passenger trains, to understand our over-reliance on light duty vehicles (i.e. passenger cars, the biggest carbon polluter) open this real time map.
 
All trains in our state need to run on overhead electric lines, powered by distributed solar/wind energy, not fossil fuels. The dollar costs of burning fossil fuels is much higher, over time, than the clean energy transition. Given The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and The Inflation Reduction Act , and excellent government partnership after the Key Bridge disaster, lawmakers should bring in federal transportation and clean energy dollars. Done right, this will prevent future transportation budget deficits from over reliance on costly roads/highways. We can pivot to coordinated transit and public interest rail. The Mid-Atlantic region will benefit.

MD CLIMATE PARTNERS' PLAN 
In October of 2023, a broad coalition released the Climate Partners' Recommendations for Achieving Maryland's Climate Goals. Our plan outlines how Maryland's climate goals and co-benefits can be achieved. This means starting with equity and transportation, as explained in our report. Fix Maryland Rail's policy recommendations were included in the Transportation chapter. The Moore/Miller Administration lead staff received our report. In a letter from coalition leaders, Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain and Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Paul Wiedefeld were urged to work together to enact our full climate plan, with a boldness matching our coastal state's climate emergency. Maryland Matters and The Baltimore Sun wrote about our plan, and Washington College's student newspaper published an article: "Maryland Climate Partners Recommend Credible Environmental Goalposts for State". Future generations are counting on us.

GOVERNOR MOORE'S CLIMATE PLAN
Two month later, the state released Maryland's Climate Pollution Reduction Plan. This report names 'transit' as a part of the solution But in general, it glosses over rail-related opportunities we had identified, analyzed in detail, and for which we had proposed policy fixes. While disappointing, the latest state plan serves as yet another reminder of the freight rail monopoly's influence. Public-interest transportation stakeholders, advocates & experts will continue to offer policy recommendations to lawmakers, including the Moore/Miller Administration. Time is of the essence in order to future-proof our state from the worst impacts of the predicted climate emergency. 

RELATED CONCERNS
Other consequences of CXS and NS in Maryland?  Two Class 1 freight rail carriers' domination of, and refusal to invest in, modernizing their trains and tracks in our state is an impediment to affordable higher-speed passenger rail. With a proposed station in South Baltimore, the 'rail for the rich' private MAGLEV plan includes building infrastructure in busy communities from Washington D.C. to New York. Given MAGLEV's path, Baltimore's lower-income and immigrant communities could be at risk of gentrification or displacement. The Patuxent Wildlife Refuge, an historic sanctuary for millions of migrating birds, is also at risk.

MARYLAND CAN BE A TRANSPORTATION LEADER
Instead of the status quo, transit, including trains, can protect us from transportation and economic harm, as quantified in a 2023 preliminary VMT reduction analysis from the Rocky Mountain Institute. Other countries have far safer, efficient, electric rail for freight and passengers, carrying less harmful goods, and even run on clean solar/wind power, as per India, instead of dirty diesel. Other states are starting this pivot for ever-larger passenger rail services.  

FREIGHT RAIL: THREE FIXES
Transparency and accountability are overdue. The public needs thorough, up-dated geographic, financial, infrastructure, goods carried, and worker details, funded by CSX and NS, including printed and online data and maps of all their trackside, railyard and port operations in our state. These rail carriers should also provide timely communications - for government and public use - and full funding for harm prevention and emergency preparedness, to  include community, environmental, medical and safety experts' compensation. Impacted communities, including waterways and land stewards, should be compensated from CSX and NS for past economic etc. harm. 

PASSENGER & FREIGHT RAIL:
TWO PILOTS
Concurrently, we can pivot to public interest investments in rail. A national conversation is growing about public ownership of U.S. railroads. But in today's political climate, federal government policy change can be ephemeral. For now, other states provide examples.  As per Virginia, with right-of-way acquisition of  CSX routes, and expanding passenger rail, Maryland can move away from public endangerment and harm. Smaller railroad operators, privately or publicly owned, can offer models. As per Pennsylvania's Strasburg Rail Road's new six-track freight yard, Maryland can expand and improve regional freight rail. As per California's new electric Amtrak trains, our state can shift to clean-energy electrification.

Fix Maryland Rail proposes that our railroads benefit Maryland and our region. Let's get this done!
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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

AMERICAN-RAILS.COM (MARYLAND)
  History and overview

AUDIO INTERVIEW:
How to Fix America's Transit Woes (The Lever, with Peter DeFazio. DeFazio explained Virginia as a possible model for buying tracks and right of way from private freight rail monopolies such as CSX. He said that a similar approach in MD is a laudable goal. As former U.S. House of Representatives Transportation Committee chair, who wrote much of the original federal rail infrastructure bill, diluted by the U.S. Senate, DeFazio should know.
 
BALTIMORE PORT INFO, INCL. COAL BUSINESS
Baltimore's two coal export piers impacted by Key Bridge collapse (March 2024)
How Baltimore Port Closure Affects Coal Producers in West Virginia (April 2024)
Port operations' economic/labor impact in general (word document with infographics)

BALTIMORE TRANSIT EQUITY COALITION
"Economic development follows rail"
"Build the red line"
See Taylor Smith-Hams' painting below

BETTER TRANSIT NOW
"Reliability - Frequency - Accountability"
"A long overdue campaign for Baltimore transit riders"

CALIFORNIA
California Debuts its New Electric Trains
California Diesel Trains Health Impacts & Changes Ahead (from The Guardian, 2023)
Coal trains increase San Francisco regional air pollution (2023)
 
CENTRAL MARYLAND TRANSPORTATION ALLIANCE
"The average wage earner spends over half of his/her income on housing and transportation costs..."

CLIMATE RAIL ALLIANCE
"Promoting the climate benefits and energy efficiency of rail transportation"

CURTIS BAY, SOUTH BALTIMORE  (links below contain images)
CSX coal silo explosion article, Curtis Bay, Baltimore (2022)
CSX coal trains, volume is up (2023)
Toxic Disasters, 100 Years of Environmental Injustice  youtube
'Just Transition Baltimore' video 2018
   Solutionary Rail interview with campaigners
   who stopped crude oil train terminal

ELECTRIFIED RAIL IS WIDESPREAD OUTSIDE U.S.
Graphic of other countries vs. U.S.!

FIX MARYLAND RAIL
Fix Maryland Rail: Two Pilot Projects: one-page summary w/maps (2022)
Fix Maryland Rail: full working document (2022)
Fix Maryland Rail: webinar (2022)
Fix Maryland Rail on Facebook 
 
HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF RAIL YARDS (2012)
   Excellent policy brief -  East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice (CA)
 
LABOR NETWORK FOR SUSTAINABILITY
"Making a living on a living planet"

LEVER NEWS
The Koch Network is Killing Rail Safety (2024)

MARYLAND CLIMATE PARTNERS PLAN (2023)
"Climate Partners put forward vision for climate future"

MOVING FORWARD NETWORK
"...network of over 50 member organizations that centers grassroots, frontline-community knowledge, expertise and engagement from communities across the US that bear the negative impacts of the global freight transportation system." (from website)

NORFOLK SOUTHERN's EAST PALESTINE DERAILMENT DISASTER​
Norfolk Southern Ohio derailment & Baltimore delivery by train of toxic waste water:
   plan for processing in Baltimore & release into local waterways

PENNSYLVANIA
Pennsylvania's  Strasburg Rail Road 0pens six-track freight yard

PORT OF BALTIMORE FACTS
Port of B'more- After Key Bridge collapse, data on workers,
   revenue, traffic, etc (March 2024)

PUBLIC RAIL NOW
"...a people's campaign that seeks to reclaim railroads as a vital public asset, benefiting passengers, goods transportation, and the environment alike."

RAIL REPORTS 
MD Coalition's Transportation Transition Plan
   report for Moore/Miller team (Dec.'22)
   see especially rec #7, pp 20-22, & Data/Metrics, pp 30-31
National Sierra Club Rail Report (August 2023) 
 
SIERRA CLUB, MARYLAND CHAPTER

SOLUTIONARY RAIL 
Solutionary Rail 3-minute introduction video
Solutionary Perspectives interviews 
Solutionary Rail e-book
    see especially pp 26-29 re: 'Leveraging Rail Electrification
    to Grow Renewable Energy'
SolutionaryRail.org/Maryland
 
TRANSFORM MARYLAND TRANSPORTATION Coalition
   "Imagine a robust, equitable and sustainable transportation system"

U.S. RAIL SYSTEM
How the U.S. Rail System Works, Council on Foreign Relations, (April 2023)

VIRGINIA
Virginia Sees Record Train Ridership youtube
True Story of Transforming Rail in Virginia youtube - CSX collaboration
    by Virginians for High Speed Rail
Virginia, CSX Announce Major Rail Infrastructure Plan
     to untangling rail congestion from Virginia into D.C.
     by separating state-owned passenger rail from freight rail tracks

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CONTACT
dianew@solutionaryrail.org
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Image credit below:
Artist: Taylor Smith-Hams 
Title: Brave Enough to Imagine 5 (Build the Red Line)
Gouache on paper
9x12"
2022 ​