STV signed a contract with the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) to provide comprehensive design services for MTA’s Red Line, a new 14-mile light rail transit (LRT) corridor that will significantly enhance east-west connectivity in Baltimore. 

In tri-venture with Jacobs and WRA as “Transit Delivery Partners,” STV will serve as the General Engineering Consultant (GEC). 

STV’s Role 

The firm is providing roadway, track, water resources, systems, traffic, landscaping, architecture, structural and utility design, and oversight. STV is offering planning support in collaboration with the program management consultant (PMC) and will provide cost estimating services later in the project. 

“The Red Line will be a major improvement to Baltimore’s connectivity, especially for communities that rely on public transit to access employment, education and other essential services,” said Ryan Barth, PE, principal and project manager at STV. “This long-term project also creates an abundance of professional development opportunities for Baltimore’s next generation transportation workforce, who will gain invaluable skills working on a transformative infrastructure project alongside a large project team with a diverse group of subcontractors and local DBEs.” 

MDOT MTA’s Red Line Project

Gov. Moore revived the Red Line project in June 2023, and in June 2024, light rail was selected as the preferred mode of transit to meet Baltimore’s critical need for east-west transit service. 

STV had previously supported the original project as part of a program management consultant (PMC) team prior to 2015. 

The Red Line will connect communities from Woodlawn in Baltimore County to Johns Hopkins Bayview Hospital in East Baltimore. The majority of the route will be surface running within the existing Baltimore City roadway network. 

The project scope also includes the design of several maintenance buildings for vehicle storage and upkeep, as well as park-and-ride facilities along the alignment. 

MTA’s current transit network serves over 300,000 daily trips via its Metro Subway, Light Rail, MARC train, and bus systems. Many of the highest-ridership bus routes currently travel along the proposed Red Line corridor, which is expected to serve between 28,500 and 35,500 daily riders once the high-frequency, high-capacity service is operational. 

STV’s Experience in Maryland

STV has a long-standing track record with MTA, which most notably includes the award-winning MARC Riverside Heavy Maintenance Facility, one of MTA’s first alternative delivery projects. 

The STV-Jacobs-WRA tri-venture also has extensive experience with MTA, having led the preliminary engineering for the Purple Line in suburban Washington, D.C., connecting Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties. 

Beyond its work with MTA, STV has played a pivotal role in shaping Baltimore’s urban landscape for more than 30 years, contributing to major developments such as Baltimore