BALTIMORE -- Light Rail service reopened on Dec. 5 for five south end stops that have been closed since February for the double track construction project.

The five stops reopened include Linthicum, the Baltimore-Washington International Airport Business District, BWI Airport, Ferndale and Cromwell stations. The stations' reopening completes double track construction work for the Light Rail's entire south end, according to the Maryland Transit Administration.

The final phase of the double track project begins in January when construction starts on the system's north end. As a result, Light Rail service from the North Avenue stop to the Hunt Valley stop will be suspended for much of 2005.

The north end shutdown is scheduled to begin on Jan. 3 for 13 stops, including: North Avenue (northbound service), Woodberry, Cold Spring Lane, Mt. Washington, Falls Road, Lutherville, Timonium Business Park, Timonium, Warren Road, Gilroy Road, McCormick Road, Pepper Road and Hunt Valley.

Service from North Avenue to Timonium is scheduled to reopen by late summer. Service to the remaining stops from Timonium to Hunt Valley is scheduled to reopen late next year.

Light Rail shuttle buses will substitute for Light Rail service on the north end.

"Our goal is to eliminate the bottlenecks on the system that create delays as one train has to wait to pass another. We are moving the construction along as rapidly as possible to complete the entire system and minimize the inconvenience to our customers," said Maryland Transportation Secretary Robert L. Flanagan.

When the double track project is completed in 2006, it will eliminate delays at single-tracked sections caused by the need to wait for oncoming trains. Currently, 72 percent of the Light Rail system is double-tracked.

After north end construction is completed, more than 90 percent of the system will have two tracks. Only 2.6 miles will remain single-tracked because of a lack of right-of-way space along certain stretches of the Light Rail system, according to the MTA.

The MTA began running test trains on the tracks between North Linthicum and Cromwell during the week of Oct. 10.

Link: For more information on the double track construction project, log on to the MTA's Project Web site.

Link: To find out where the Light Rail shuttle bus will be scheduled for service during the north end construction project, you can log on to the MTA's Web site.

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