Most transit service grinds to a halt
Third in a series of updates today from the State Highway Administration operations center in Hanover:
Most mass transit service has been suspended in Maryland as the Super Bowl of Snow has overwhelmed roads and rails.
According to Maryland Transit Administrator Ralign Wells, the only service moving in Maryland is the part of Baltimore's Metro that runs underground from Mondawmin Mall to Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Local bus service was suspended after midnight b ecause many roads were impassable. Light rail and the aboveground portion of the subway did not begin service today because the "snow trains" the MTA had out at night could not clear the rails fast enough. In Washington, the Metro was also running only to underground stations, according to Maryland Transportation Secretary Beverly Swaim-Staley.
Even Mobility service for the disabled has been suspended. People with medical emergencies have to rely on 911 service.
The hope for Sunday is that limited service can resume before the end of the day on the light rail, local buses and the aboveground portion of the Metro to Owings Mills, Wells said. He said bus service will operate only on primary roads and will be on a modified schedule.
Wells said the prospects for Monday look much better. He said the MTA is waiting for a determination from the federal government on whether its offices will open before deciding whether to offer MARC service Monday. If the trains do run, they will be on a limited holiday schedule, he said.
The MTA is working closely with city officials to get key turnaround points plowed, Wells said. He said one of the MTA's big problems is that many of its buses are buried in snow.
Wells said the MTA's call center is open through the weekend. He said employees, including call center operators, mechanics and operators, have been brought in by four-wheel drive vehicles from as far away as Pennsylvania.
The administrator paid tribute to the efforts of MTA workers, noting that they were working across union jurisdictional lines to perform necessary tasks.
"I'm so proud of our staff," he said. "MTA -- they're soldiers."
