Penn Line

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.

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.

MARC trains running on the Penn Line were delayed Monday morning, Maryland Transit Administration officials said. One southbound train experienced mechanical problems, along with downed overhead electrical wires, according to the MTA website and spokesman Terry Owens. MTA officials turned around train 417 at West Baltimore and it departed at 8:10 a.m., Owens said. The first train to leave Penn Station departed at 8:13 a.m., he added. "Unfortunately this morning, the train stopped at an interlocking, which caused delays both north and southbound," Owens said.

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.

The Maryland Transit Administration will launch a new schedule Monday on its Penn Line, adding eight trains to the timetable in an effort to alleviate overcrowding and improve on-time performance on the Amtrak-operated line. The new schedule, which has been planned for more than a year, is intended to relieve some of the strain on MARC's locomotive fleet by using smaller train sets running at more frequent intervals. MTA spokesman Terry Owens said MARC officials have been meeting with riders at Penn Line stations since Feb. 28 and have received a generally favorable reaction to the changes.

The Maryland Transit Administration advised MARC patrons Tuesday that Penn Line train service north of Edgewood has resumed after being suspended all morning due to a power outage caused by downed catenary lines. The first train going all the way from Washington D. C. to Perryville is Train 520, which left Washington at 12:20 p.m. For most of Tuesday, the Penn Line stopped at Edgewood and did not take patrons to stops in Perryville and Aberdeen. Amtrak issued a separate advisory to passengers stating that it has restored service between Washington and Wilmington after disruptions Tuesday morning, but thast passengers may still experience some delays.

Two trains on the southbound MARC Penn Line from Baltimore to Washington will have designated "quiet cars" starting Monday to meet the demands of commuters who want a train ride free of cell phones and loud conversations, the Maryland Transportation Administration said yesterday. Riders on such cars will be asked to turn off their cell phones, set their pagers to vibrate and mute the volume on their laptop computers. The MTA also asks that passengers keep their conversations to a minimum and that commuters traveling with children not ride in the quiet car. The experiment will last three months and could be expanded if it proves popular, officials said.

MARC service on the Penn Line between Washington and Baltimore is expected to resume in time for this morning's commuter rush, a Maryland Transit Administration spokeswoman said yesterday evening. Service on the rail commuter line had been halted since Thursday evening when three empty CSX Corp. coal cars derailed between Bowie and Landover, damaging power lines and the tracks. Officials have said Thursday's heavy rains could have been a factor in the derailment. The derailment had thousands of Friday commuters scrambling for other means of transportation.

As a publication, it's about as riveting as watching mud dry, but commuters have reason to cherish the new MARC Commuter Notice.It's a weekly newsletter outlining the on-time record of all Maryland Rail Commuter trains on the Penn Line. The journal notes when trains are more than five minutes late and the reasons for the delay.That may not seem like much, but it's a happy event for long-suffering MARC commuters who have begun to wonder if anyone's listening to their complaints. Trains on the Penn Line -- from Perryville to Baltimore to Washington -- have MARC's worst on-time performance.

Delays, cancellations and crowding are a way of life aboard Maryland's MARC Penn Line, but crowding has been worse than usual the past three weeks as the Maryland Transit Administration has struggled to round up enough locomotives to pull its trains. The main problem is that six of MARC's 10 electric locomotives are out of commission - forcing the use of less powerful diesel engines that can pull fewer rail cars, said MTA spokeswoman Jawauna Greene. The underlying issue: MARC's entire locomotive fleet is decades old. Crowding aside, MARC's locomotive troubles have not caused any additional commuter train delays or cancellations, Greene says.

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.

Officials reported no traffic incidents around 9:20 a.m., as Monday morning's rush hour wound down. The Maryland Transit Administration showed trains and buses operating on time. A long-term road closure to watch for includes roadwork on I-895 South at the I-97 spur, where southbound shoulders are closed, according to highway officials. MARC's Penn and Brunswick lines are on an "S" schedule, with some making extra stops. There is no Camden Line service. Camden Line tickets can be used on the Penn Line.

As of 9 a.m. Wednesday, traffic was slow on I-97 southbound near Route 178 in Anne Arundel County, due to an accident. Accidents were slowing traffic on Route 665 near Riva Road in Anne Arundel County, Waugh Chapel Road near Route 3 in Anne Arundel County, and Route 140 westbound near Suffolk Avenue in Carroll County. Monument Street is closed between Wolfe Street and Patterson Park Avenue in East Baltimore due to sinkhole repairs. Maryland Transit Administration bus 35 has been diverted.

As of 9 a.m. Thursday, traffic was slow on I-95 northbound near the Baltimore Washington Parkway, due to an accident. Accidents were slowing traffic on the inner loop of I-695 near I-95, and Font Hill Road and Frederick Avenue in Baltimore City. Monument Street is closed between Wolfe Street and Patterson Park Avenue in East Baltimore due to sinkhole repairs. Maryland Transit Administration bus 35 has been diverted. The Maryland Transit Administration is warning MARC Penn Line patrons that southbound MARC and Amtrak trains are expected to operate 15 to 30 minutes late through Penn Station in Baltimore, due to signal and switch problems.

The Maryland Transit Administration advised MARC patrons Tuesday that Penn Line train service north of Edgewood has resumed after being suspended all morning due to a power outage caused by downed catenary lines. The first train going all the way from Washington D. C. to Perryville is Train 520, which left Washington at 12:20 p.m. For most of Tuesday, the Penn Line stopped at Edgewood and did not take patrons to stops in Perryville and Aberdeen. Amtrak issued a separate advisory to passengers stating that it has restored service between Washington and Wilmington after disruptions Tuesday morning, but thast passengers may still experience some delays.

Local trains were back on schedule and power was restored to area homes and businesses Wednesday, as Marylanders cleaned up and repaired damage caused by the previous night's heavy rainstorms. The Maryland Transit Administration reported Wednesday morning that trains on the MARC Penn Line were operating on schedule after crews fixed signals that lost power after the storms hit. "We had some issues with signals being out between Baltimore and Washington, and they caused significant delays on the Penn Line" between Perryville and Washington Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, said MTA spokesman Terry Owens.

As of 9 a.m. Thursday, traffic was slow on I-70 westbound near Route 32 in Howard County, due to an accident. Traffic was slow on I-95 southbound near Route 222 in Perryville, due to road construction activity. An accident was blocking traffic on northbound Harford Road at Bagley Road in Fallston. A disabled vehicle was blocking traffic on southbound Route 97 at Route 32 in Anne Arundel County. The Maryland Transit Administration is warning MARC train patrons to expect "major delays" on the Penn Line because a train is disabled at the Odenton station and crews are working to repair it. Other trains are taking on extra passengers, and the Washington Metro line is accepting MARC tickets.

As of 9:15 a.m. Tuesday, traffic was slow on U.S. 50 westbound at Ritchie Highway, due to an accident involving five vehicles. Accidents were slowing traffic on I-95 southbound near O'Donnell Street in Baltimore City, the inner loop of I-695 at I-83 in Baltimore County, the outer loop of I-695 near Edmondson Avenue in Baltimore County, and Belair Road at Putty Hill Avenue in Baltimore County. The Maryland Transit Administration is warning patrons of the Central Maryland light rail system that it is experiencing service delays between Hunt Valley and the Cromwell and BWI Thurgood Marshall airport stops.