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MTA Expands MARC Penn Line Service
New service relieves afternoon crowds, adds late-evening alternatives
The MTA expanded MARC service on the Penn Line in February by adding three new trains, all running daily, Monday through Friday. The expanded Penn Line service is the first installment of the MARC Growth and Investment Plan. This is a multi-phased plan to triple the capacity of the MARC system over the next several decades.
“We are committed to improving the MARC system for the thousands of commuters who depend on it everyday,” said Governor Martin O’Malley. “Demand is currently so high that on some trains bound for Baltimore during the evening rush hour, more than 300 people must stand during their trip home. As we work to improve our transit system in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan area, one of our goals is to increase capacity by adding trains and providing evening service for those who need it.”
The new service was also designed to provide additional capacity, and meet the projected needs that will result as part of the federal government's upcoming Base Realignment and Closure effort. Currently, MARC carries an average of 30,000 riders a day. The Penn Line averages 19,597 riders each day and runs from Perryville, Maryland to Union Station in Washington, DC.
The late night northbound MARC train leaving Washington, DC at 11:45 p.m. now allows people to stay later, attend after-hours meetings, or just enjoy a relaxing night out on the town. The additional southbound train leaving Penn Station-Baltimore at 10:30 p.m. also stops at BWI Marshall Airport, so commuters arriving on later flights now have that late night option for taking MARC to Washington.
The improvements were as follows:
Northbound Train No. 450 was added leaving Washington, DC at 5:10 p.m. and arrives at Penn Station in Baltimore at 6:01 p.m. It stops at New Carrollton at 5:20 p.m. and Seabrook at 5:25 p.m. along the way.
Southbound Train No. 447 was added leaving Baltimore's Penn Station at 10:30 p.m., stopping at BWI Airport at 10:43 p.m., Odenton at 10:50 p.m., Bowie State at 10:56 p.m. and New Carrollton at 11:04 p.m., before arriving in Washington at 11:30 p.m.
Northbound Train No. 448 was added leaving Washington, DC at 11:45 p.m. and arrives at Penn Station at 12:40 a.m. It makes all stops along the way.
Makeover Planned for Edgewood Station
Beginning this spring MTA will embark on an extreme makeover of the Edgewood MARC Station. Edgewood, one of two stations in Harford County, is expected to see additional ridership as the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process transfer work to nearby Aberdeen Proving Ground. Currently, on an average day there are 264 passenger boardings at the Edgewood Station.
In several phases over the next two years MTA will construct a new passenger waiting building, re-configure and re-pave parking on both sides of the tracks and construct new wheelchair ramps to bring the station into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Harford County will demolish a derelict building that blocks the view of the station from the road. The approximately $4 million project is now in the engineering stage.
Because the station occupies land owned by MTA, Amtrak, the State Highway Administration and the U.S. Army, extensive coordination and design review is required before construction can begin. To implement the project as quickly as possible MTA will proceed with phases as approvals are received. For example, MTA has worked with Amtrak to expedite repair of the boarding platforms which will start this spring, and demolition of the building will be completed during the summer. The MTA anticipates advertising the station phase of the project in September 2008. Completion of the project is scheduled for July 2010.
The new station building will be located immediately adjacent to the southbound platforms, allowing riders to wait in comfort for the train. The architecture echoes the former station building which is credited to noted industrial designer and architect Raymond Loewy. Loewy was hired by the Pennsylvania Railroad to give its trains and stations a more modern look. A 1942 Time Magazine article praised the Edgewood Station, built for $18,000, as a “bright, clean-looking structure.” Loewy’s Edgewood Station was demolished prior to the initiation of MARC Train service north of Baltimore in the early 1990s.
MTA to Purchase 26 Diesel Locomotives
By Rex Springston, Chief MARC Mechanical Officer and
Frank Fulton, Chief Communications Officer, MARC Train
The Maryland Transit Administration recently received approval from the Board of Public Works to purchase 26 MP36 diesel locomotives for the MARC Train service. The new locomotives will be more powerful, fuel efficient and environmentally-friendly. With 3600 horsepower, each will have enough power to maintain MARC’s schedule with expanding train lengths.
The re-manufactured locomotives will have a 720 kilowatt head end power (HEP) performance rating, giving them built-in reliability and the flexibility to satisfy the electrical demands on MARC trains today and into the future. An onboard microprocessor makes them more reliable, efficient, and helps reduce maintenance down time. They come equipped with electronic fuel injection making them more fuel efficient. The cab is APTA-approved (American Public Transportation Association), which for the safety of the train crews, is built to protect those inside the locomotive.
The new locomotives will meet more stringent EPA air emissions standards (EPA’s Tier 2 rating). These locomotives will reduce emissions of nitrous oxide by 42 percent, carbon monoxide by 70 percent, and particulates (like soot) by 67 percent. In addition, the locomotives will improve crew safety and provide fleet uniformity for acquiring spare parts and performing maintenance.
MARC is replacing its existing fleet of GP40 diesels, which are nearing the end of their service lives. The 19 locomotives, built between 1966 and 1971, originally cost $1.7 million each. The new re-manufactured ones will cost around $3.4 million each. The MTA expects to take delivery of the first unit by early 2009 and receive one each month until the order is completed.
MTA Administrator Wiedefeld Appoints
CSX Veteran John Hovatter As New MARC Director
MTA Administrator Paul J. Wiedefeld announced the appointment of transportation veteran John Hovatter as the new Director of MARC Train and Commuter Bus Services. Mr. Hovatter comes to MARC having more than 30 years of railroad experience with CSX Transportation.
As Director, Mr. Hovatter will oversee the operation of MARC Train service and Commuter Bus operations. Since 2002, Mr. Hovatter served as Manager of Commuter Rail Services for CSX Transportation. He worked as the CSX liaison with MARC, Virginia Railway Express (VRE) and other commuter services. Through his long career, having joined the freight railroad out of high school, he held various transportation-related jobs.
“John’s wealth of knowledge regarding rail transit and his familiarity with the MARC system will be a tremendous benefit to all who use transit in the state,” said Administrator Paul J. Wiedefeld. “We welcome him to Maryland.”
Mr. Hovatter’s primary goal is improve customer service by making management more responsive and the commute more comfortable for passengers. He has completed management courses at Florida Community College and received specialized training in negotiations and other management skills through CSX.
Other MARC Appointments
MTA would like to announce the appointment of Glenn Saffran as the new Deputy Director for MARC Train and Commuter Bus Services. Glenn, previously Manager of Commuter Bus, had been Acting Director for the last several months, providing dependable leadership and operational stability during the recruitment process.
Frank Fulton has been appointed to the new position of Chief Communications Officer for the Office of MARC Train and Commuter Bus Services. In his new position, Frank will be focusing on improving the communication with our MARC and Commuter Bus riders. For example, he will be rolling out a new Meet the Management program for both MARC and Commuter Bus.
MTA has appointed Dave Ricker as the new Chief Transportation Officer for MARC Train Service. Dave has been acting in this position for the last eight months and previously was the Trainmaster for the Penn Line.
“This is a strong team made up of railroad and bus professionals,” added Administrator Wiedefeld. “John brings a combination of business experience and strategic management skills to advance the Administration’s vision for improved rail and Commuter Bus transit throughout Maryland.”
Kate Shelley – Railroad Legend
By Frank Fulton, Chief Communications Officer, MARC Train
Kate Shelley was born in Ireland to a family of tenant farmers in 1865. Her family immigrated to America when she was nine months old and built a home on 160 acres near the town of Moingona in Boone County, Iowa. Their small frame house was on a slope near a tributary of the Des Moines River called Honey Creek. It was within sight of a Chicago and Northwestern Railroad bridge that spanned Honey Creek.
Iowa proved to be fertile for raising crops and raising a family. Kate’s sisters Margaret and Mayme and brothers John and Michael were all born in Iowa. Her father, Michael, got a job with the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad to help support his growing family. He was hired on as the foreman of a section crew that was building track. In his spare time he tilled the soil and raised hogs, chickens and cows.
Tragically, in 1878, Michael was killed in a railroad accident. Michael, Jr., the oldest boy, drowned the same year while swimming in the Des Moines River.
These tragedies broke Kate’s mother’s spirit and her health deteriorated. As the oldest child, at 15, Kate was forced to take over the household. She had to raise the children, plow the fields and harvest the crops. Meanwhile, she made sure that her brothers and sisters continued their schooling. She also managed to keep up with her studies. Kate wanted to be a schoolteacher
Her life changed on July 6, 1881. Even though it began as another hot summer day, Kate’s mother predicted a thunderstorm. As evening came, dark clouds rolled in and blackened the sky. Lightening flashed and thunder rattled the windows. The water in Honey Creek, already high following a wet spring, roiled and spilled over its banks.
Shortly after 11 p.m., Kate and her mother heard the rumble of the old No. 12 locomotive on the bridge. The train was sent from Moingona with orders to check the tracks for washouts and to report back to the dispatchers. With a crew of four, the engine backed down the track. The brakeman and section foreman stood on the running board behind the tender. The locomotive rolled out onto the swaying bridge. Kate said later that she and her mother heard the bell ring twice over the sound of the storm. Suddenly, the timbers supporting the railroad bridge snapped. Kate and her mother heard an explosive crash and a hiss of steam as the locomotive plunged 25 feet into Honey Creek. hen there was only the sound of the storm. They guessed the engine went into the water.
Fifteen-year-old Kate understood the train schedules from her father’s days with the railroad. She also knew the midnight express was due shortly from the west. Kate realized she had to warn the train when it arrived in Moingona, before it crossed over the Des Moines River Bridge. The bridge was built as a high span over the water.The railroad company removed some of the planking on the bridge deck, in order to discourage pedestrians from crossing.
Carrying a lantern, Kate started to cross the bridge. The wind blew out the lantern flame. But, as she looked down, she saw two of the crewmembers through the flashes of lightening. They were clinging to tree limbs. She shouted that she would get help.
Kate crossed the damaged bridge by crawling over what was left of a slippery catwalk. Each flash of lightening revealed how close the swirling water was rising beneath her. Racing the clock, she ran for a half-mile down the tracks to the Moingona depot to warn the station agent.
The agent readied a rescue engine and placed a stop order for the midnight express. Having promised the train crew that she would get help, Kate insisted on returning with the rescue party. When the rescuers reached the bridge, Kate showed them where the two crewmen were perched on tree limbs. One was pulled out by a rope. The other had to wait until the raging water receded to be hauled to safety. The body of the third crewmember was found a quarter mile away, and the fourth person was never recovered.
When the midnight express was stopped, there were 200 passengers onboard.
Kate was a hero. The passengers on the train were so thankful, they collected a few hundred dollars to express their appreciation. The railroad telegraphed the heroic deed to the world.
The State of Iowa gave her a medal with an award of $200. School children in Dubuque, Iowa presented her with a medal. The Order of Railway Conductors gave Kate a gold watch. The Chicago and Northwestern Railroad awarded her $100 and a lifetime rail pass. She also got letters from around the world.
Epilogue
Kate finally got her teaching certificate and taught in a small schoolhouse near her home. She earned $35 a month. In 1890 a Chicago newspaper printed a story that Kate was having trouble paying her mortgage and faced foreclosure on the home she lived in for twenty-three years. Public response was immediate. An auction raised $500 and the mortgage was retired. The State of Iowa passed a resolution granting her $5,000.
In 1900 the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad replaced the wooden bridge over the Des Moines River with a stronger one built from steel. In 1903, after refusing a previous job offer from the railroad, Kate accepted a job at Moingona as one of the first women station agents in the country. She sold tickets and billed freight traffic. Ironically, she walked to work each day over the same route she traveled on the night she saved the riders on the midnight train.
She never married. However, given the publicity surrounding her heroics, no one suspected she lacked suitors. Kate died on January 21, 1912 from Bright’s disease, a chronic inflammation of her kidneys.
On the day of the funeral, the railroad sent a special train to Kate’s home to pickup her remains and to carry the family and the hundreds of friends who came to pay their respects to this selfless lady. A rail car carried her over what eventually would be named by the railroad as the Kate Shelley Bridge.
(Sources: www.desmoinesriver.org/kshelley.html (anonymous from Chicago and North Western Page); Doug Nebbe’s Railroad Pages at www.showcase.netins.net; S.E. Schlosser at www.americanfolklore.net; Wikipedia.com – Kate Shelley; Rudolph Daniels, Western Iowa Tech Community College, www.uiowa.edu.)
MTA Police Step Up Patrols to
Prevent Theft of Catalytic Converters
The theft of catalytic converters has become a national problem, compounded by the fact that there is no industry regulation on what pawn shops and other after market venues accept. Newsweek Magazine* states that “cops from Maine to California are reporting a surge in “cat con” (slang for catalytic converter) thefts, because each one contains a few grains of platinum, which has skyrocketed in price from $500 an ounce in 2000 to more than $1,500 today.” Due to this growing trend, the MTA Police has increased its security around all of its Park & Ride lots.
“Thefts at our Park & Ride lots are a serious issue,” said MTA Chief of Police Colonel David C. Franklin, “and even one theft is one too many. We are aware that theft of catalytic converters has been escalating, and we have stepped up our patrols at all of our parking facilities. We are also working as closely as possible with law enforcement personnel in all local jurisdictions, and want to remind riders once again, that if you see something, say something!”
Thefts occurring on MTA property represent a small percentage of thefts
occurring in the region and in local jurisdictions. Locally, the Maryland Transit
Administration Police continue to partner with Anne Arundel, Baltimore County Police
and other jurisdictions to thwart these thefts. This is a priority for the MTA Police and
they, along with the local police, have made several arrests.
The MTA police are using surveillance, extra patrols, and other methods to identify the
thefts in progress and to make arrests. Usually, SUV's are the vehicles that are targeted
the most, since they are easier to get under and contain a little more of the rare
element. Theft statistics may be obtained from the local jurisdictions.
A catalytic converter is a device used to reduce toxicity of emissions from an internal
combustion engine. It provides a chamber for a chemical reaction wherein toxic
combustion by-products are converted to less toxic substances before they are released
into the environment through the tailpipe. The internal catalyst is often a precious
metal. Platinum is widely used along with palladium and rhodium. While the quantity of
the precious metal is very, very low, it can add aftermarket value to these devices.
The MTA asks for riders’ help if they see anyone in our parking lots coming
out from underneath a vehicle, please contact either 911 or the MTA police at
410-454- 7720, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
* Newsweek Magazine, January 21, 2008
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