Baltimore-area Amtrak ridership grew 50% in last 15 years

Amtrak ridership in Greater Baltimore has increased nearly 50 percent in the last 15 years, a report released Friday showed, ranking the region seventh for growth among Amtrak’s 10 busiest metropolitan areas.

The report, released by the Brookings Institution, is dubbed “A New Alignment: Strengthening America’s Commitment to Passenger Rail.”

Baltimore-area ridership grew from 1.2 million in 1997 to 1.8 million in 2012, the Washington, D.C.,-based think tank reported. In total, Baltimore…