"Several thousand" Amtrak and about 2,000 MARC rail passengers were delayed for up to three hours yesterday morning after an Amtrak train pulled down railway electrical wires as it switched tracks in Baltimore.
No one was injured when a northbound Metroliner switching tracks near MARC's West Baltimore station at 6: 15 a.m. hit overhead wires that provide power to the train, said Rick Remington, spokesman for Amtrak's Northeast Corridor.
The incident closed two tracks shared by Maryland Rail Commuter trains and Amtrak. Amtrak reopened one track at 8: 45 a.m., allowing northbound and southbound train service to resume on that track.
Amtrak canceled five of its 30 Metroliner trains between New York and Washington, Remington said.
Those riders took other trains or received refunds.
Delays lasted as long as two to three hours for some Amtrak riders, but most of the "several thousand" passengers affected by the incident had to wait from 30 to 45 minutes, Remington said. Some trains were on time.
Repairs were expected to be completed late last night, allowing regular service to resume this morning, he said.
Amtrak is trying to determine what caused the incident, Remington said.
The electrical wires are damaged a couple of times a year somewhere along the Northeast Corridor, he said.
The incident also delayed users of MARC's Penn Line service.
MARC diverted some riders to its Camden Line, which also provides rail service between Baltimore and Washington, and put some on buses, said Anthony Brown, spokesman for the Maryland Mass Transit Administration, which runs the commuter rail service.
Camden Line service operated as scheduled, Brown said.
For information today, Brown urged MARC customers to call (800) 325-RAIL or listen to MTA Transit Team reports on radio or television.
Pub Date: 1/14/97
