Rail Service

A light rail train driver and five passengers were taken to hospitals with minor injuries after the train and a tractor-trailer truck collided yesterday in Hunt Valley, authorities said. The train was derailed by the collision, leading to an interruption of service in the area. The truck driver was traveling south on Gilroy Road near Schilling Circle about 10:45 a.m. when he made a left turn to cross the tracks, according to Maj. Stanford Franklin, a Maryland Transit Administration police spokesman.

The Board of Public Works approved a long-awaited operating agreement between the state and CSX Transportation yesterday, clearing the way for extending Maryland's commuter rail service between Washington and Frederick.While commuter rail service to Frederick is still more than two years away, the approval allows the state to move ahead with the first phase of a $50 million project to build the connection -- a move designed in part to ease traffic congestion along the Interstate 270 corridor.

"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.

Should you drive or ride the new light rail connection to the airport? It depends on what's more valuable to you: time or money.From Hunt Valley, you're apt to save 30 minutes by car, but you'll spend at least $14 more for the privilege.That's the result of a test by The Sun this week. Two reporters set out from the Hunt Valley light rail stop about 7: 45 a.m., one by car and the other by light rail. Their goal: to reach the TWA ticket counter at Baltimore-Washington International Airport the recommended hour before a 10: 15 flight to New York.

ONCE UPON a time, newspaper reporters waited patiently in drafty stations to see and record who was coming and who was going on the railroad's crack trains. It was considered legitimate news during the belle epoque of rail travel that celebrated in addition to flesh and fame, steam, steel and speed.The names of the fast limiteds -- the Capitol Limited, the Black Diamond, the Seminole, the Liberty Limited, the State of Maine, the Spirit of St. Louis, the Royal Blue -- managed to etch themselves into the psyche and fabric of American life.

Train service north of Baltimore was slowed during both rush hours yesterday after an early morning fire in a diesel locomotive melted overhead power lines near Edgewood, an Amtrak spokesman said.Limited rail service was restored on one of two Conrail tracks by about 7:30 a.m., more than four hours after the fire broke out in a Conrail freight engine traveling south across the Bush River bridge, said Cliff Black, the Amtrak spokesman.Morning trains were delayed by about an hour and afternoon Maryland Rail Commuter (MARC)

Absolutely. Amtrak, the nation's passenger rail system, isn't about to expire. Efforts by congressional conservatives to kill its $1 billion federal subsidy have run into unexpected opposition from unexpected sources. Two rounds of steep cuts, including one last week, improve Amtrak's immediate outlook. Yet the long-term picture isn't rosy.The basic problem is that members of Congress want to have it both ways: They crave a first-rate rail system but they don't want to pay for it. Ever since Ronald Reagan targeted Amtrak for elimination, the railroad's fiscal situation has gotten progressively worse.

Put light rail service where people want it and can reach it conveniently, and they will use it. That's the plain message of the most recent ridership survey on the Central Light Rail Line. Service was extended from downtown almost to Glen Burnie last June, and ridership more than doubled. In fact, the 18,000 daily riders represent more than half the number of riders anticipated by 2010 for the already completed base system.It's been easy for critics to carp at the use of the system, not yet two years old. Ridership built up slowly, and empty cars were frequent sights, particularly during non-peak hours.

When light rail came to Anne Arundel County last year, there were high expectations for the commuter line linking the county to points north.Now some residents near light rail stops have soured on the idea. They say the trains bring outsiders who commit crimes in their community. In Linthicum, a community association that voted for light rail service last year now wants its station closed.Kun Lee, owner of Champion Liquors in the Cromwell Field shopping center, said he expected business to increase when the Cromwell Station light rail stop opened.

Light-rail service in South Baltimore, interrupted since Monday by damaged power lines, is scheduled to resume at 11 a.m. today, the Mass Transit Administration reported last night.With help from Baltimore Gas & Electric Co., MTA maintenance crews completed repairs yesterday to 1,500 feet of overhead wires that had been damaged north of the Westport stop on the Central Light Rail Line.The cause of the damage remains unknown, and MTA said it was continuing to review the entire 22.5-mile line in an attempt to pinpoint what triggered Monday's mishap.

It doesn't take a train buff to recognize kindred spirits roaming the halls of Congress and the White House have fallen in love with the possibilities of passenger rail. Not only does the stimulus effort include $8 billion for the development of high-speed rail, but President Barack Obama included an additional five-year, $5 billion state grant program in the budget he unveiled last week. With the similarly elevated funding given Amtrak - formerly known as the industrial world's most perpetually insolvent railroad - it's likely that some people have expectations of Japanese-style bullet or French TGV trains zooming across the American landscape any day now. Not so fast.

Light rail service has been discontinued indefinitely between the North Avenue and Hunt Valley stations because a large number of trains are out of service for wheel maintenance, the Maryland Transit Administration has announced. The disruption in service began yesterday. The Penn Station-Camden Station shuttle trains also will not be in service, the MTA announced Friday. Bus service will be provided between the discontinued stops. Single-car trains will serve commuters south of North Avenue, which could lead to crowding at the beginning of the week.

The Maryland Transit Administration reported "major disruptions" in light rail service yesterday because of falling leaves and an increase in the number of rail cars needing wheel repairs. The MTA said the resulting shortage of trains would force it to discontinue some rail service and replace it with shuttle buses. Similar problems arose last spring after the discovery of a cracked wheel forced the MTA to pull cars off the tracks for inspections. The transit agency said it expects this round of disruptions, including crowding and late trains, to last for about a week.

WASHINGTON - The House voted yesterday to authorize $60 million in federal funding to study a way around a 135-year-old rail tunnel that imposes speed and height restrictions on modern passenger and freight trains as they pass through Baltimore. Lawmakers approved the money as part of a $14.9 billion bill to reauthorize Amtrak for the next five years. The 311-104 vote far exceeded the two-thirds necessary to override a veto threatened by the White House, which said the bill lacked "basic measures" to hold the national passenger rail service accountable for its spending.

Bus shuttles will serve the five northernmost light rail stops in Baltimore County starting later this month while a crossing at Warren Road is replaced, and some riders said yesterday they are not looking forward to the change. "I think it's going to be a lot more of a headache because there's always two trains and enough space for passengers to sit down. The buses will be more crowded," said Kamille Morton, 17, a Paul Laurence Dunbar High School junior who commutes from Cold Spring to Shawan Road in Hunt Valley, the last stop on the line, to get to her job at a nearby Wendy's.

The Maryland Transit Administration will increase its light rail service to Hunt Valley as part of a series of bus and rail changes, agency Administrator Paul J. Wiedefeld said yesterday. Beginning Feb. 17, all light rail trains will continue past Timonium to the Hunt Valley station -- the system's northern terminus. Half of them now stop their run at Timonium. Wiedefeld said the change was being made to reduce the system's complexity, especially for riders returning from downtown events.

Users of the Maryland Transit Administration's light rail service between downtown Baltimore and Penn Station will soon be able to travel nonstop. The MTA has announced that starting Sunday, it will eliminate the need for passengers traveling between the station and Camden Yards in downtown to switch trains at the University of Baltimore/Mount Royal Station. Riders northbound from Penn Station, as well as those heading to the station from the northern segment of the line, will still have to transfer at Mount Royal.

A light rail train driver and five passengers were taken to hospitals with minor injuries after the train and a tractor-trailer truck collided yesterday in Hunt Valley, authorities said. The train was derailed by the collision, leading to an interruption of service in the area. The truck driver was traveling south on Gilroy Road near Schilling Circle about 10:45 a.m. when he made a left turn to cross the tracks, according to Maj. Stanford Franklin, a Maryland Transit Administration police spokesman.

The Senate is set to approve a $1.4 billion appropriation for Amtrak. That's quite a bit better than the $900 million the Bush administration proposed spending. Whatever amount Congress ultimately approves is likely to keep the system limping along for another year. But Amtrak's federal subsidy may be just about the only thing associated with the railroad that's running on schedule these days. Ask anyone who rides Amtrak's long-distance routes. A person would almost have a better chance of scratching a winning instant lottery ticket than arriving on time on some of these trains.

The American Public Transportation Association reports that public transit use in America is growing fast. Last year, rail and bus systems provided 9.7 billion trips. That's 25.1 percent growth over the past decade, compared with 22.5 percent growth for highways. And within the public transit world, the fastest-growing mode is - drum roll, please - light rail. From New Jersey to Los Angeles, the various forms of light rail, from modern streetcars (like Baltimore's) to heritage trolleys, are reporting double-digit ridership increases.