Michael, this is only half the story. I ride train number 534, the 5:20 express from Union Station to BWI. On the typical day the train loses power three times enroute to BWI. Usually they are able to gt it start again wiht only minimal stoppage or slow down, sometims we are stopped for a few minutes and sometimes it results in one of those emails of a minor one or two hour delay.
The problem is that this engine is always losing power, multiple times a day on the 534 run, I don't know about its other runs. I would venture to guess that other trains are teh same way.
Believe me, the 20 delay emails sent yesterday by MTA did not include the three times the 534 lost power, which is fine as the train was only 5 minutes late to BWI (and I think that was mmore due to an unexplained crawl between Odenton and BWI) but the fact is, at least this engine, simply needs to be taken out of service immediatley as it is failing multiple times a day, multiple times a run.

I ride the 5:20 as well, and Richard speaks the truth. It's so weird to be just pulling out of the station and have the power and A/C go off. Especially because they never say a word about it (or is that the loudspeakers don't work without power?). Three times is accurate.

We frequently crawl between Odenton and BWI, while the 5:10 (an express that skips BWI) often passes. Is that the reason? If it is, you'd think they could modify the schedule so that we wouldn't be constantly delayed but rather "right on time".

What is the road number of the engine that keeps dying? It's painted on the side of the cab below the windows and is also in the lighted number boards near the roof of the engine. If the delay is indeed your engine consistently loosing power, others should notice this same engine dying when it is assigned to other trains throughout the day. You could also specifically complain to MTA, demanding that that engine not be assigned to the 5:20 express.

Yesterday I missed the 5:20 express due to metro "holding mementarily" at Judiciary Square for a few minutes and had to take the 5:34. It lost power once while sitting in the station and four more times between Union Station and New Carrolton (although it slowed down significantly, power was restored quickly and we were only a few minutes late). Maybe it was the same engine, I don't know. Or maybe this is just all MARC engines.
Either way, this is pathetic. Michael, you really should do a story on this. And, I might add, this is not a recent development, this has been going on for months and last year as well.