MTA extends call center hours
Spurred by recent service disruptions on MARC trains, the Maryland Transit Administration has extended the hours of its customer call center to roughly match the hours commuter rail service operates.
Starting immediately, the call center will remain open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday "until further notice." The center had previously closed at 7 p.m. --- long before the last MARC trains of the day left their stations.
MTA Administrator Ralign Wells said one of the messages hhe had received in talking with customers is that they want to be able to reach a knowledgeable agency representative during service hours. The MTA said it has also designated some of its agents to deal specifically with MARC-related issues and to stay in touch with the commuter line's operations staff. The number for MARC-related callls is 1-800-325-7245.
The MTA said it has also extended call center hours for its other rail and bus systems to the same period as for MARC. That number is 410-539-5000.
In addition to the cell center changes, the MTA also said it will also put bus operators on standby when temperatures are expected to exceed 90 degrees to provide shuttle service in the event of long service disruptions or the closing of a rail line The "contingency fleet" buses will be located at MTA garages around Baltimore.
The agency also said it would station one of its own employees at Washington's Union Station each weekday until 11 p.m. to oversee MARC operations and provide information to passengers. The MTA also said it has stepped up its observations of the MARC service provided by Amtrak and CSX by assigning employees to ride the rails daily at peak hours.
The MTA moves follow a series of actions announced by Amtrak in reaction to a June 21 incident in which a train was stranded for two hours outside Washington in sweltering heat and with little explanation to passengers.
Amtrak has said it will now store an emergency water supply on trains, provide better information to riders, retrain crews to better deal with emergencies and send rescue locomotives when MARC engines break down.
