Maryland Transit Administration chief Holly Arnold resigns

By Adam Bednar | Baltimore Sun (TNS)

BALTIMORE — Maryland Transit Administration Administrator Holly Arnold is resigning after more than five years leading the state agency that oversees Light RailLink, Metro SubwayLink, MARC trains and the bus system.

Arnold said in a statement that serving as the state’s transit chief has been the highlight of her career. After “much consideration,” she will step down Sept. 1, and her successor is expected to be announced shortly.

“Transit does more than just move people from one place to another. Transit connects communities and provides access to opportunity,” she said.

She said she is proud of the agency’s work during her tenure, citing repairs, rider experience and reliability improvements.

Arnold served as deputy administrator before becoming acting administrator in June 2021. Then-Gov. Larry Hogan appointed her permanently when he was in office, and she remained in the role under Gov. Wes Moore, who took office in January 2023. According to her state bio, she oversaw the nation’s 13th-largest transit system, with an annual budget of $900 million and a six-year capital budget exceeding $3 billion. Her salary was $308.000 last year.

Moore, in a statement, praised Arnold’s work as administrator, saying that she worked tirelessly to improve service for riders.

“Our residents, employers and families have seen the impact of her efforts first-hand, and we are grateful … for her diligent service to our state,” he said.

Transportation advocates, however, say the system still has a long way to go. The Central Maryland Transportation Alliance gave it a D in its 2026 report card, citing poor access to jobs, disconnected communities and air pollution.

“Unfortunately, in Central Maryland, we are far from the great transportation system that we seek. A decade since our first Transportation Report Card, our region remains at a ‘D’ grade across critical metrics,” the group wrote in the report.

Her departure comes as transit officials weigh major system questions, including the future of the proposed Red Line.

Moore declared light rail the preferred option nearly two years ago for the proposed 14-mile fixed-rail route from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services headquarters in western Baltimore County to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in East Baltimore. State estimates put the project’s cost at between $5 billion and $9 billion.

During recent community meetings in the city, transit officials have floated building a bus rapid transit line instead, which state estimates project would cost between $750 million and $1 billion.

The departure also comes amid scrutiny over a recent crash in Pikesville, where a state transit bus struck a commercial building, injuring 36 people and triggering a mass-casualty response in Baltimore County.

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