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The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has given Baltimore’s Red Line light-rail project the go-ahead to move into the engineering phase, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley announced yesterday.

The Maryland Transit Administration worked with the FTA for the past two years to meet federal requirements, and the FTA’s action “signals the project has merit and a high likelihood of success,” O’Malley said in a prepared statement.

The proposed 14.5-mile Red Line that would connect downtown Baltimore with several surrounding areas. The $2.2 billion project is slated for completion in 2020. Project planners estimate the line would average 57,000 riders daily by 2030.

“The fact that the Red Line has progressed to this stage underscores the quality and competitiveness of this much-needed transit project that will help create jobs and economic development for Baltimore’s future,” said Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.