MARC can't get the story straight
Tim Manicom of Baltimore noticed that the information he's getting from one MTA web site is entirely different from the information on another. People going to one web site are told MARC is on time; those who visit the other learn that trains on the Penn Line are running as much as 80 minutes late.
The one reporting the delays is MARC Tracker. The one saying evrything is hunky-dory is the MTA's main web site.
"Obviously one hand isn’t communicating with the other," Maricom notes. (His statement checks out for accuracy now, but by the time you read this, the information may have changed.)
This is a serious screw-up. There are many things that occur on the MARC lines that are beyond the MTA's control. CSX and Amtrak own the tracks, operate the trains and do the dispatching. But communicating accurately with riders is the MTA's responsibility. The MTA's spokesmen weren't available when I called a few minutes ago.
Comments
This is what I've been sayin'.
Bad things happen, but the MTA could do a better job at providing accurate information on a timely basis so that we riders can act accordingly.
Whether it's deciding to seek alternate transportation (e.g., Camden vs. Penn), choosing to stay later at work rather than waiting indefinitely at the train station, or being able to inform our employers or loved ones of any changes in plans we need to make, it's important for MTA to improve its means of updating passengers of any service disruptions.
Posted by: MARC CRAM | November 19, 2010 3:36 PM