Camden Line

MARC train service was suspended on the Camden line between Baltimore and Washington after a person was struck by a CSX Corp. freight train in Laurel, a MARC official said. Service was halted in both directions about 2:30 p.m., said Cheron Wicker, a spokeswoman for the Maryland Transit Administration in Baltimore. The MARC train travels between Oriole Park at Camden Yards and Union Station, she said. No information was available on the victim, she said. MTA officials could not estimate when service would be restored, Wicker said.

Elkridge residents are turning to lawmakers from Howard County for help fighting the potential placement of a CSX rail transfer facility in their community, arguing that lower costs should not be the only factor considered. The site in Elkridge is the cheapest of four potential locations, and the only one estimated to stay within the original $150 million cost estimate — which CSX and the state had agreed to split equally. But Elkridge residents say the project would devastate the property values of the 353 homes that lie within a quarter-mile of the facility.

Maryland has canceled the bidding on a contract to take over the operations of the MARC Camden and Brunswick lines from CSX, saying its bid solicitation had failed to generate sufficient competition for the work. "We were not happy with the competition or lack of competition," said state Transportation Secretary Beverley K. Swaim-Staley. Swaim-Staley said the Maryland Transit Administration would revise its request for proposals in an effort to make it more attractive for bidders.

As of 9 a.m. Friday, traffic was slow around Malcolm Drive and Route 140 in Westminster, due to a disabled vehicle. There were no major delays reported on Baltimore transit systems. The Maryland Transit Administration has modified its MARC train service schedules Friday only, in anticipation of patrons leaving work early due to the New Year's holiday. On the Camden line, there will be a 2 p.m. departure from Union Station, making all stops to Camden Yards. The train that usually departs at 5:51 p.m. from Union Station will not operate.

As of 9 a.m. Friday, traffic was slow around Malcolm Drive and Route 140 in Westminster, due to a disabled vehicle. There were no major delays reported on Baltimore transit systems. The Maryland Transit Administration has modified its MARC train service schedules Friday only, in anticipation of patrons leaving work early due to the New Year's holiday. On the Camden line, there will be a 2 p.m. departure from Union Station, making all stops to Camden Yards. The train that usually departs at 5:51 p.m. from Union Station will not operate.

As of 9 a.m., traffic was slow on the inner loop of I-695 near I-83, due to an accident involving two vehicles. Accidents were slowing traffic on I-95 southbound at Route 100 in Howard County, Route 10 northbound at Ordnance Road in Anne Arundel County, I-97 southbound near New Cut Road in Anne Arundel County, I-895 southbound near Moravia Road in Baltimore City and York Road at Warren Road in Baltimore County. The Maryland Transit Administration is warning patrons to expect some minor delays in service on the light rail from Hunt Valley to the Cromwell and BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport stops.

As of 9 a.m. Friday, traffic was slow on southbound I-795 between Owings Mills Boulevard and the Baltimore Beltway due to an accident. A disabled vehicle was slowing traffic on northbound I-95 at the Fort McHenry Tunnel. Accidents were also disrupting traffic at St. Paul and Preston streets and Monument and Curley streets, both in Baltimore. Numerous street signals were out due to Hurricane Irene, and many downtown roads were closed in preparation for the Baltimore Grand Prix race this weekend.

Jim Akers has seen it all on the MARC line this summer: Crowded rail cars. Broken-down locomotives. Trains slowed to a crawl. E-mail alerts that arrive too late to be useful. "It's been a rough time," said the Ellicott City resident, who commutes to Washington on MARC's Camden line. Maryland transportation officials concede that MARC performance has suffered in recent weeks, mostly because of heat-related problems. In July, for instance, 82 percent of trains ran on time -- well below the state's 92 percent goal.

March 31 was a lousy day to observe the travails of life aboard a MARC train. I took two round-trips - one on the Penn Line and one on the Camden Line - and the rides couldn't have gone more smoothly. Where was the dysfunctional MARC I'd been hearing so much about? I was aboard that day as an exercise in making amends. After a recent column implied that MARC riders were a wee bit more persnickety than the typical transit rider, my in-box was flooded with indignant e-mail. One of my more spirited e-mail discussions evolved from ire to mutual respect to an invitation to meet with a group of MARC commuters over a beer.

In a setback to its ambitious effort to expand the MARC commuter train service, the Maryland Transit Administration has dropped plans to add weekend service to its Penn Line or midday runs to its Camden Line this summer. MTA Administrator Paul J. Wiedefeld said last week that the agency has so far been unable to reach agreements with Amtrak or CSX, which own the two lines, on opening up slots in their schedules for the added service. In September, Wiedefeld unveiled a sweeping 28-year plan to triple capacity on MARC, a system whose growing popularity has led to severe crowding.

As of 9 a.m., traffic was slow on the inner loop of I-695 near I-83, due to an accident involving two vehicles. Accidents were slowing traffic on I-95 southbound at Route 100 in Howard County, Route 10 northbound at Ordnance Road in Anne Arundel County, I-97 southbound near New Cut Road in Anne Arundel County, I-895 southbound near Moravia Road in Baltimore City and York Road at Warren Road in Baltimore County. The Maryland Transit Administration is warning patrons to expect some minor delays in service on the light rail from Hunt Valley to the Cromwell and BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport stops.

The most controversial of four proposed sites for a Baltimore-area center for transferring cargo between trucks and trains carries the lowest cost estimate, while one that has virtually no close neighbors would cost nearly twice as much, according to officials of CSX and the Maryland Department of Transportation. But during a news briefing Tuesday at the agency's headquarters, the officials offered assurances that while all of the locations remain in the running, none is favored over the others.

As of 9 a.m. Friday, traffic was slow on southbound I-795 between Owings Mills Boulevard and the Baltimore Beltway due to an accident. A disabled vehicle was slowing traffic on northbound I-95 at the Fort McHenry Tunnel. Accidents were also disrupting traffic at St. Paul and Preston streets and Monument and Curley streets, both in Baltimore. Numerous street signals were out due to Hurricane Irene, and many downtown roads were closed in preparation for the Baltimore Grand Prix race this weekend.

The Maryland Transit Administration warned MARC train patrons to expect delays to train service on the Penn, Brunswick and Camden lines on Wednesday following Tuesday's earthquake, as crews work to restore full service. According to the MTA website, the Brunswick Line was expected to have delays of up to 55 minutes due to several crews exceeding hours of service allowed by the Federal Railroad Administration. The Camden Line was expected to have trains running 20 minutes late. The MTA also said that light rail service has resumed between Timonium Station and Hunt Valley after it was temporary suspended and replaced by a shuttle bus service.

Commuters experienced delays on roads, bridges and transit systems around the state as Marylanders felt the effect of a 5.8-magnitude earthquake in Virginia Tuesday, but most of the disruptions were clearing up by late afternoon. Jack Cahalan, a spokesman for the Maryland Department of Transportation, said from his cellphone outside the evacuated department headquarters in Hanover that service on the MARC and light rail were suspended immediately after the quake. The subway and light rail had reopened by about 3:30 p.m. MARC train service out of Washington's Union Station resumed shortly after 4 p.m. on the Penn and Brunswick lines, and Camden Line service was expected to start up shortly afterward.

Last week a bill came before the General Assembly that could have a profound impact upon the future of two of the three MARC commuter lines. But nobody showed up to speak for the riders. Not the MARC management. Not the Maryland Transit Administration. Not the Maryland Department of Transportation. Neither did a single MARC rider show up. But it's hard to blame them. They'd have to take a day off work to testify — and it's doubtful anyone would have paid much attention anyway.

Among the ties that bind the Baltimore and Washington areas, the heavily subsidized MARC commuter train service is one of the most important. On an average weekday, 9,500 Marylanders use its Pennsylvania line, 4,000 take the Camden line and 5,000 patronize the Brunswick Line from Western Maryland.The destination of 95 percent of the riders is Washington's Union Station. For $131 a month, a Baltimore resident can take an unlimited number of rides to the nation's capital 36 rail miles away.

Orioles fans who depended on Maryland Transit Administration charter buses to get home from games now face the same deprivation that afflicted Ravens rooters last year. Because of a federal ruling, public transit agencies can no longer provide specialized services geared to sporting events. That includes the buses to Savage, Greenbelt and Washington that the MTA used to offer after games. With the baseball season under way, it has been left to the MTA to break the bad news to fans that they may have to leave before the last out is recorded to make the last transit connection to Washington.

Howard County officials have postponed a decision about a site for a new school in Elkridge this week, citing concerns among neighbors that the state is eyeing their backyard as a site for a new rail transfer facility. Howard's school board delayed voting Thursday night on a plan to build a badly needed elementary school on a 20-acres donated by a developer next to Coca Cola Drive, where big trucks carrying cargo containers could rumble 24 hours a day, 7 days a week if an adjacent parcel is chosen for the transfer facility.