Aug 30, 2008 8:08 am US/Eastern
New Trains Expected To Ease MARC Train Mishaps
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
After MARC train riders experienced a nightmarish summer of breakdowns, delays and crowds, things are looking up.
Suzanne Collins reports new high capacity train cars have just arrived to help ease the burden.
Ten double decker trains just pulled in to Middle River. Three more are on the way. They are expected to relieve overcrowding very soon on the Maryland MARC train lines, and riders say it's about time.
"It's been very, very crowded. Most times you have to stand like on stairways," said Christine Sykes, a student.
June and July were embarrassing for MARC when bad weather and engine failures sent on-time rates plummeting. That happened right as ridership soared with rising gas prices.
The double deckers, purchased slightly used from Virginia Railways, will take two months to refurbish for service.
The MARC cars Maryland now uses have glass windows, not plastic like the ones recently bought, but all of them will be replaced with glass. That uniformity helps emergency responders know what they're dealing with if there is ever a rescue.
"If first responders break laminated glass with an ax, it breaks a window inward and falls inside. If they hit plexiglass window with an ax, it's just going to bounce back and hit the firefighter or first responder," said Rex Springston, mechanical officer.
The next improvement comes in early 2009 when 26 new locomotives arrive.
"What that does is allow us to pull longer trains and they're more reliable locomotives because some of the issues in the past are mechanical," said Paul Wiedefeld, MTA administrator.
Getting the slightly used double decker train cars is a real coup. That's because the wait for new ones is three to five years. The MTA administrator hopes he can increase on-time service to more than 92 percent.
"To do that, we have to have more reliable equipment. We have to have additional tracks. We have to have additional storage space and additional parking and things of that sort," said Wiedefeld.
And for a college student, who is dependent on MARC service, that's a relief.
"I think that is great because me, I go to school at UMBC, so it's like we have to stay on a very tight schedule, and I have to be at class at a certain time," said Monica Dixon, student.
The pre-owned train cars also saved the state money. They were $1.6 million each. New ones are $3 million a piece.
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