AMTRAK TO FIX 2 MD. BOTTLENECKS: As Amtrak trains whisk passengers hundreds of miles along the East Coast between Boston and Washington, they’re forced to slow down at four pinch points in Maryland, where ancient railroad infrastructure can’t accommodate the high speeds and capacity of modern train technology, writes Colin Campbell for the Sun. Officials have begun planning to fix two of the bottlenecks, the Susquehanna River Rail Bridge, which opened 110 years ago, and the even older Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel, built under the city in the decade after the Civil War.
CLEANER AIR: Marylanders are breathing the cleanest air in years and it’s getting better, the Maryland Department of the Environment announced Monday. Pat Furgurson of the Annapolis Capital reports that that is especially good news for Anne Arundel county residents who in 2000 suffered under the worst air pollution in the state and 11th worst air of any county in the country.
- Scott Dance of the Sun reports that Maryland is “very close” to meeting all federal air quality standards, state environmental officials said Monday, but tightened regulations on ozone pollution could mean an uptick in “Code Orange” air quality days this summer.
http://marylandreporter.com/2016/05/03/state-roundup-may-3-2016/