MARC to launch new schedule Monday
The Maryland Transit Administration will launch a new schedule on its Penn Line Monday, adding eight trains to the schedule in an effort to alleviate overcrowding and improve on-time performance on the Amtrak-operated Penn Line.
The new schedule, which has been in the planning stages for more than a year, is intended to relieve some of the strain on its locomotive fleet by using smaller train sets running at more frequent intervals.
Terry Owens, an MTA spokesman, said MARC officials have been meeting with riders at Penn Line stations since Feb. 28 and have received a generally favorable reaction to the changes. The Camden and Brunswick lines, operated by CSX, will not be affected.
The new schedule will add two morning peak and two evening peak trains in each direction. In both cases, one of the new trains will run between Washington and Baltimore while the other will run between Perryville and Washington.
Rafi Guroian, chairman of the MARC Riders Advisory Council, said the new schedule is a positive step that will help relieve crowding on Penn Line trains. However her expressed skepticism whether it would be as effective in preventing breakdowns.
According to the MTA, the new schedule will add five stops at Martin State Airport and seven at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.
One of the Washington-Baltimore trains will be a limited-stop train to Odenton during the evening rush hour.
Owens said the additional service to Perryville is intended in part to help accommodate the additional traffic to Aberdeen Proving Ground expected as a result of the Pentagon's base-relocation process.
Satisfaction hasn't been universal, Owens indicated.
“I think the folks up in Perryville would like to see a little more service up there,” he said. But Owens said MTA officials decided they need to concentrate MARC's resources in the Baltimore-Washington part of the route, where the demand is heaviest.
Owens said one of the purposes of the revised schedule is to ease some of the strain on its locomotive fleet, “especially the electrics trying to haul those nine-train-car sets.”
The Penn Line has been plagued by frequent locomotive breakdowns in recent years -- especially during the heat of summer. Last year one of those breakdowns last summer led to the so-called “hell train” incident, where passengers on one stalled Penn Line train were stranded for more than two hours in baking cars before emergency responders began to evacuate them.
Guroian said he doubts whether the new schedule will have much of an effect on on-time performance. He said he has seen no evidence that heat and heavy trains are the reason behind the Penn Line locomotive breakdowns in recent years.
However, Guroian said the changes should go a long way in improving the comfort and safety of the trains.
“The new schedule I’m convinced is going to alleviate a lot of that standing-room-only for a lot of people,” he said. That standing , he said, poses a significant hazard in the event of a train crash, he said.
Guroian said he’s not expecting everything to go smoothly at first.
“It’s going to be a challenge for Amtrak dispatchers to keep everything running on time in the beginning,” he said. “I’m sure there are going to be some growing pains.”
Comments
I like the new schedule, I just hope everything is in place to help support the new trains and schedule. I do have concerns that stem from the logistics of having more trains leaving Union Station (or Penn Station) within certain time frames than has been the norm.
Specifically, I hope there are contingency plans in place that prevent or minimize delays when a train's departure is delayed. Nothing is more aggravating than being on an express train that is closely following a local train. These kinds of situations have typically been where MARC fails in many areas.
Also, 'Amtrak Interference' is a recurring issue that I'm afraid will only become worse by adding more MARC trains to the mix. Again, I think contingency planning, (and sufficient pressure and oversight of Amtrak) should be able to reduce these interference delays.
And last, I'm concerned about passengers at Union Station waiting to board. Currently Gate A is for Camden and Brunswick trains, w/Gates B and C used for the Penn Line. With so many Penn lines trains departing within minutes of each other, where will these passengers wait for their track posting? It seems PM rush hour track postings are often within minutes of departure. They need to be prompt and accurate with these postings to keep overcrowding from occurring in the passenger waiting areas (having an extra gate or two available probably won't hurt either).
I'm hopeful they've thought of some of these things and planned accordingly, but given their track record, I'm not expecting much.
Posted by: Bill | March 10, 2011 4:26 PM
I'll give MARC credit for coming up with a plan to address the biggest issues. Now comes the tough part of implementing the plan. Knock on wood, but the trains have generally been running like clockwork this winter.
Posted by: sven | March 10, 2011 9:28 PM
I like the thought behind it. I do not like that it adds 15-20 minutes to my homeward commute. The 5:10 train got us in just in time to catch the 6:06 at Mount Royal Station. NOw that they have added a couple stops, the 5;10 gets in a few minutes later, which means we will have to wait until the 6:21 LIght Rail.
Posted by: Mike | March 13, 2011 11:01 AM