Union Station

Maryland's commuter train system is getting a major revamping with a timetable that adds midday and rush hour service, a new stop at Laurel Race Course and a cafe-parlor car that will offer food, drinks and first-class seats.The revised schedule unveiled yesterday by Mass Transit Administration goes into effect Jan. 31. State officials said the changes should make train service more convenient and reliable than in the past."What we're trying to do is enhance our service and create a more flexible schedule," said Maryland Transportation Secretary O. James Lighthizer.

Travelers on Maryland Rail Commuter (MARC) trains should be prepared to reach deeper into their pockets starting Oct. 1, when the Mass Transit Administration proposes to raise base fares.The proposal, announced yesterday, calls for an increase of up to 19 percent. The fare for a one-way ticket would go up 25 cents, and a round-trip ticket would cost an additional 50 cents. For example, a one-way ticket for a trip from the MARC station in Aberdeen to Union Station in Washington would increase from $7.25 to $7.50, while a round-trip ticket would increase from $13.00 to $13.50.

As if the American and National league rosters didn't offer enough for stargazers, a slew of celebrities will be at Camden Yards on Monday for a charity home run hitting contest.Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, James Belushi, Bill Murray, Tom Selleck, Dan Marino, Florence Griffith Joyner, Denzel Washington and Ahmad Rashad are to compete in the Upper Deck Celebrity Home Run Challenge for Charity.The contest will take place after the Heroes of Baseball %o old-timers game, with Jordan, Selleck and the others taking their swings against pitchers from the Heroes game from 1:24 to 2 p.m. Signs will be placed in the outfield, marking distances worth $100, $200 and $300, and a home run is worth $500.

Whether it's a trip to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue or a lesser-known spot, Washington visitors can count on seeing awe-inspiring monuments, world-class museums, and breathtaking sculptures and fine arts.Yet Washington is also a baffling city that confounds visitors with a Rube Goldberg street plan and elbow-to-elbow crowds that can easily wipe out a tourist's enthusiasm.A little planning, however, can eliminate the worst Washington torments. Here are some suggestions to make your trip more enjoyable.

Passenger trains and stations are making a slow comeback.Washington's historic Union Station, since its renovation a few years back, has experienced a spectacular rebirth as a railroad terminal and shopping mall. In New York City, Amtrak is dreaming of a $315 million scheme to duplicate that success by moving its Penn Station from Madison Square Garden to the neo-classic General Post Office building on Eighth Avenue and 31st Street.Nothing as grandiose is happening in Baltimore. But the whole Mount Royal area is going to get a boost when a new 550-car garage is built under Pennsylvania Station and a grand plaza is created to improve vehicle and pedestrian access from Charles and St. Paul streets.

Members of the Sheet Metal Workers International Association struck the CSX Transportation Inc. facility in Cumberland and five towns in the Southeast yesterday, delaying freight throughout the region.The strike had no impact on the Maryland Commuter Rail (MARC) system. CSX operates two of the three MARC lines: the Camden Line between Baltimore's Camden Station and Union Station in Washington, and the Brunswick Line from Union Station to Martinsburg, W.Va.Union officials did not return calls asking for comment yesterday.

Maryland's commuter trains posted an improved on-time performance in August, but state officials say they're still not satisfied with the results.An estimated 84.5 percent of Maryland Rail Commuter (MARC) trains departed and arrived on time last month. That result is well below the system's 95 percent goal, but a substantial improvement over the 74 percent posted in July.The abysmal July performance, which included one train returning from a late-night Orioles game getting stuck for nearly two hours along a remote siding in Washington, led to the ouster of the system's director of passenger services.

WASHINGTON -- The week in August that a Soviet coup paralyzed Moscow, Mike DeGraff and Dan Patton opened their first shop in Washington's Union Station selling Russian arts, crafts and souvenirs."

Oatlands Plantation in Leesburg, Va., ushers in the Yuletide season on Saturday. "Christmas at Oatlands" brings back the holiday atmosphere of the Victorian age, when this 18-room mansion was home to two generations of Virginia's Carter family.The Christmas tree is a local pine trimmed with paper chains, popcorn, cranberries and small paper lanterns. Arrangements throughout the house make use of laurel, magnolia leaves, pine cones, nuts and fruits. They are made by hand as they were in the 1880s, using greens and other natural materials gathered from the estate.

Bell Atlantic Mobile Systems, the cellular arm of Bell Atlantic Corp., said yesterday that it plans to expand its use of microcellular technology to enhance cellular phone reception indoors at public locations.The new technology will be unveiled publicly for the first time later this month in Washington's Union Station.Microcell technology utilizes the cellular concept on a smaller scale, placing extremely low-power cells in heavily used areas. In Union Station, Bell Atlantic Mobile plans to place a suitcase-sized transmitter and antennae in the Amtrak waiting area.