Maryland Transit Administration

Maryland's MARC commuter trains, which have always operated Monday through Friday, will begin offering weekend service between Baltimore and Washington on the Penn Line in coming months. The expansion - put on hold in 2008 when the recession hit - is possible as the result of the new transportation revenue law that raises the state's gas tax, officials said. The governor signed the bill Thursday. The news was welcomed by Baltimore officials, who said it would offer city residents a less expensive means than Amtrak of traveling to Washington for weekend events while also encouraging D.C. residents to travel to Charm City.

For a construction industry starved for work during recent lean years, the prospect of getting a slice of the $2.6 billion Red Line light rail project was like a dinner bell. Nearly 400 people, from contractors and investment bankers to engineering firms and rail-car makers, packed a forum at the Baltimore Convention Center on Monday to learn what kinds of opportunities might be available if the state makes the mass transit project a public-private partnership, or P3. The Red Line and its sibling, the $2.2 billion Purple Line in the Washington suburbs, would be a heavy financial lift for the state, even with a 50 percent contribution by the federal government.

For a construction industry starved for work during recent lean years, the prospect of getting a slice of the $2.6 billion Red Line light rail project was like a dinner bell. Nearly 400 people, from contractors and investment bankers to engineering firms and rail-car makers, packed a forum at the Baltimore Convention Center on Monday to learn what kinds of opportunities might be available if the state makes the mass transit project a public-private partnership, or P3. The Red Line and its sibling, the $2.2 billion Purple Line in the Washington suburbs, would be a heavy financial lift for the state, even with a 50 percent contribution by the federal government.

Traffic flowed toward the end of rush hour on Wednesday without unscheduled road closures as the state Department of Transportation reported no incidents at 9:12 a.m. It marked an unusually quiet morning for local roads, as many thoroughfares remained incident-free, including on such collision hot spots as Interstate 695 in Baltimore County. Morning long delays on the commuter bus service continued through 9:10 a.m., according to the Maryland Transit Administration.

With two weeks to go until the presidential inauguration, the Maryland Transit Administration still has plenty of seats left on MARC trains headed to Washington's Union Station. The agency is about to ramp up marketing efforts to sell the 7,400 tickets remaining from a stockpile of 9,000 tickets, said spokesman Terry Owens. Train tickets, $25 for a round trip, must be purchased in advance of the Jan. 21 event. Regular MARC tickets and passes will not be honored. The demand is far less than it was four years ago, when the MTA website crashed as about 112,000 people attempted to buy tickets on the first day and people began lining up at 3 a.m. at the agency's downtown Baltimore store.

The light rail system is running 20 to 30 minutes behind schedule Monday morning due to equipment problems, according to the Maryland Transit Administration. The delays extend from Hunt Valley through Cromwell and BWI, according to MTA. liz.kay@baltsun.com

A three-vehicle collision in Baltimore County on the inner loop of Interstate 695 at Liberty Road has closed one of four traffic lanes and the right merge lane at 8:53 a.m., according to the state Department of Transportation. Morning-long minor delays on the MARC train continued through 9 a.m., according to the Maryland Transit Administration.

Once again the Baltimore 10-miler road race shut down the city and traffic on Saturday. And once again the Maryland Transit Administration had no plan to detour buses to get around it. People couldn't get to work and were stranded. This race happens the same weekend every year, and for at least the past three years MTA did nothing but park buses until the race was over. The Sun didn't even post a story about this to warn people so they could make other plans. Steve Brand, Baltimore

Light rail service remains shut down between the Timonium and Hunt Valley stops, the Maryland Transit Administration announced Thursday morning. Service between the two stops was first disrupted when a snow plow, attempting to clear the snow that fell on central Maryland between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, knocked down a light rail overhead wire, according to Baltimore County police. The Maryland Transit Administration is providing shuttle service on both the northbound and southbound routes between the two stops.

Light rail service north of McCormick Road has resumed after having been out of service for almost three weeks for track repair, the Maryland Transit Administration has announced. Service to the Pepper Road and Hunt Valley stations has been restored. Since Aug. 30, the two northernmost stations on the line had been served by a shuttle bus.

Last week presented the sort of opportunity that elected officials crave. As Gov. Martin O'Malley signed the gas tax increase into law, he announced a slew of new Maryland transportation projects - $1.2 billion in all - that can now move forward to relieve congestion, make roads safer and stimulate economic development. And while all of them, from widening U.S. 29 in Howard County to designing several new light rail lines in the Washington and Baltimore areas, have their constituencies and benefits, none is likely to reap more immediate rewards than expanding MARC commuter rail operations, including allowing Penn Line trains to run on weekends.

Maryland's MARC commuter trains, which have always operated Monday through Friday, will begin offering weekend service between Baltimore and Washington on the Penn Line in coming months. The expansion - put on hold in 2008 when the recession hit - is possible as the result of the new transportation revenue law that raises the state's gas tax, officials said. The governor signed the bill Thursday. The news was welcomed by Baltimore officials, who said it would offer city residents a less expensive means than Amtrak of traveling to Washington for weekend events while also encouraging D.C. residents to travel to Charm City.

A three-vehicle collision in Baltimore County on the inner loop of Interstate 695 at Liberty Road has closed one of four traffic lanes and the right merge lane at 8:53 a.m., according to the state Department of Transportation. Morning-long minor delays on the MARC train continued through 9 a.m., according to the Maryland Transit Administration.

A three-vehicle collision in Baltimore City on Interstate 95 South prior to the Keith Avenue exit has closed one of four southbound lanes and one of two southbound shoulders at 8:58 a.m., on Thursday, according to the state Department of Transportation. Morning-long delays on the Metro subway continued at 9:05 a.m., according to the Maryland Transit Administration. Text NEWS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun local news text alerts

A one-vehicle collision in Anne Arundel County on the Baltimore Washington Parkway South at MD 32 has closed one of two southbound traffic lanes and one of two southbound shoulders at 7:53 a.m., according to the state Department of Transportation. The Baltimore City Department of Transportation said that new traffic patterns will be implemented along a portion of Charles Street on Monday as the city undergoes the Phase I Detour of its Charles Street Reconstruction Project. The transportation authority said that northbound Charles Street from 28th Street to University Parkway will be open only for local traffic and emergency vehicles.

Seminary Avenue at the light rail crossing in Lutherville is scheduled to be closed for five days beginning 10 a.m. Friday for track and road improvement work, the Maryland Transit Administration announced. Local businesses will remain open and all side streets and residential driveways will remain open. Through traffic along Seminary Avenue in Historic Lutherville will be detoured using Falls Road, the Baltimore Beltway, Charles Street and Bellona Avenue. During track work, MTA will provide shuttle bus service between the Timonium and Falls Road stations beginning Friday at 8 p.m. The rubberized rail crossing is being replaced to improve safety for light rail passengers and motorists on Seminary Avenue.

Light Rail trains headed from Cromwell and BWI stations to Hunt Valley were delayed by 15 to 20 minutes Monday morning due to a disabled train, according to the Maryland Transit Administration. The disabled train was just north of the Patapsco station, according to the MTA. Text BUSINESS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun Business text alerts

A three-vehicle collision in Baltimore City on Interstate 95 South prior to the Keith Avenue exit has closed one of four southbound lanes and one of two southbound shoulders at 8:58 a.m., on Thursday, according to the state Department of Transportation. Morning-long delays on the Metro subway continued at 9:05 a.m., according to the Maryland Transit Administration. Text NEWS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun local news text alerts

A disabled vehicle closed a shoulder on the inner loop of I-695 at Wilkens Avenue at 9:04 a.m. Thursday, according to the state Department of Tranportation In Harford County, DOT reported a two-vehicle crash shut a shoulder around 7:39 a.m. on southbound I-95 past the exit for Route 152. Minor morning delays were reported on the subway during the rush hour and commuter buses were on time, according to the Maryland Transit Administration....

Emergency roadwork in Harford County on North Union Avenue east and west at Congress Avenue has closed all eastbound traffic at 8:42 a.m., according to the state Department of Transportation. DOT also reported a collision in Baltimore County on the inner loop of Interstate 695 at the Interstate 95 exit at 8:58 a.m., but offered no additional information. Morning long delays on the Metro subway continued through 9 a.m., according to the Maryland Transit Administration. Text NEWS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun local news text alerts