I miss the clackety clack too...

Just saw Michael Dresser's post (The Sun's transportation reporter) on the disappearance of the departures and arrivals board at Baltimore's Penn Station.

Dresser informs us that the tiny digital screen that's replaced the large, old school mechanical signboard is only temporary until a new, larger digital board completes a trial run. Good thing because I always have to squint to see whether my train will be on time or not every morning.

Though Dresser notes that the new sign is in keeping with the times - "the flip-flapping signboards are going the way of the steam engine in rail stations around the world" - I'd argue that nostalgia is not the only reason to gripe about the disappearance of the mechanical board.

A number of blind commuters ride the MARC train, and I'd wager a guess that the clackety clack of the old signboard was helpful in alerting them that either a train had arrived or a departure time had been adjusted. Unfortunately the announcers are usually behind what the signboard, and as every MARC commuter knows you want to get a front and center space in line when the train arrives to assure a good seat on the train.

Amtrak saves the day for Penn commuter

I feel your pain Melissa, though fortuitously I stayed at a friend's place in DC last night instead of commuting back to Baltimore, and I have to say that my level of happiness skyrocketed for the day.

It's great that we have Amtrak as a backup to MARC, though paying three times ($7 one way Baltimore to DC on MARC versus $21 on Amtrak) the ticket price is always a tough pill to swallow.

Looks like the problems today spanned the Camden and Penn lines. As an added bonus the MARC Tracker service, which provides riders with updates about delays, was down. Once again the delays were related to mechanical problems.

I've got a longstanding date to sit down with MARC Trainmaster Dave Johnson, so I'll try to get some answers from him on this latest delay and post them here on Stuck on MARC.

Commuting most likely to dampen happiness, says Brooks

In his op/ed column in The New York Times David Brooks reports that "The daily activity most injurious to happiness is commuting."

No surprise there, I thought to myself while reading the column and looking outside the MARC train at a dreary Tuesday morning.

But don't get too glum my fellow MARC riders, Brooks also reports a fix to brighten up your workweek.

"The daily activities most associated with happiness are sex, socializing after work and having dinner with others. "

Union Station signs detail new waiting policy

I snapped these two signs at Union Station tonight on my way to catch the Penn Line home. The whiteboard is in the hallway, which I mentioned in my previous blog on the issue of MARC's new waiting policy that's upset many riders. The second is on the platform itself. 

MRAC Chair Rafi Guroian responded to my question as to whether the MARC Riders Advisory Council has taken up the issue. His answer is very instructive, if not encouraging. 

Here's Rafi's note in response to my previous blog post.

Julia, we're well aware of the issue on the council, obviously (after all, we're in the rank and file with everyone else). We'll make sure to put it on the agenda again for the next meeting (it's becoming a regular feature, it seems). Sadly, the "end-all" answer is not cheap: a complete reconfiguration of the Metro corridor and Gate A and reinstating tracks 3-6 which were torn up when the Metro was built in the 70s. 

Rafi Guroian

Baltimore Blog addresses MARC snafu at Union Station

Jeff Quinton over at Inside Charm City has taken up the cause of the new crowd control regulations for MARC riders at Union Station. An issue I blogged about last month.

Quinton, who's recently rejoined our ranks as a daily MARC commuter, was peeved about a new policy, outlined on a whiteboard at the station, that requires Penn Line passengers to board through proper gates inside Union Station, much like our Amtrak counterparts do.

The new policy was to prevent people from crowding in the hallway that connects an exit from the Metro to the platform. Like Quinton and other MARC riders who also use Metro I think it's easiest to simply take the escalators up from the subway then walk through the hallway and out onto the platform, waiting on the platform or in the hallway if the train is delayed. I understand the policy because on the seldom occasions when I was taking the Camden Line, which experiences fewer delays than Penn, it would be difficult to fight my way through the Penn Line crowd to make my train.

My problem with the new policy, as I mentioned on this blog, was that MARC still has communication issues with its passengers that cause them anxiety and subsequently a desire to be on the platform to see the situation for themselves. Often times the schedule boards in Union Station do not reflect the situation on the ground for MARC trains, which experience frequent delays.

I have to disagree with Quinton on his characterization of MARC employee Dave Johnson, who in my experience as a daily commuter for the past two years, has been one of the most dedicated public employees I've ever met. Evidenced here and here for example. You have to have sympathy for a guy who deals with an unhappy, impatient public on a day to day basis, in a job where much of what he's trying to manage is out of his direct control.

I give Quinton kudos for reaching out to the DC Fire Marshall about his concerns over fire and evacuation hazards, which are surely a problem with both the old and new waiting policies.

Quinton got a response from DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services Deputy Chief Bruce Faust regarding the situation.

Here the response, read Quinton's full post here.

I am aware of this on-going issue with MARC and the management of the Union Station terminal. We are working together to develop a reasonable solution that meets the needs of all interested parties. I hope to have
some resolution in the near future.

If you do not see improvements, please let me know.

Seems like there's more coordination that needs to happen between MTA, Union Station, MARC commuters and DC Fire Marshall. I wonder if Rafi Guroian, chair of the MARC Riders Advisory Council (MRAC) has formally taken up this issue. If you're interested in making your voice heard through the council attend the next meeting on Thursday, March 18, 2010 at 4:30 p.m. Check for the location, usually Union or Penn Station, here closer to the date.

We'll wait outside if you give us up-to-date info

Here's my problem with this notice from MARC about new boarding procedures at Union Station. The gist of the new rules is that "passengers will no longer be permitted to wait for trains before they are posted for boarding in the area outside of Gates A, B, and C or out on the platforms." One of the major reasons that passengers crowd near doorways and spill out into the platform is due to lack of information from MARC on the ground.

Unlike Amtrak, MARC does not post estimated delay times on the boards at Union Station. That leaves passengers like myself who have a short time span in which to decide whether to take either the Penn or the Camden Line home to Baltimore (for instance Penn leaves at 6:40pm and Camden at 6:43pm). If I have to wait around for more than 10 minutes for the Penn, I'll take the Camden, but there's no way for me to find this information out without walking out on to the platform to talk to personnel or to look for an incoming Penn Line train.

The notice mentions that MTA is undergoing "A more long-term effort to study and recommend ways to re-configure Union Station to better reflect Amtrak and MARC’s needs in the 21st century." That's great, I won't hold my breath. But it makes no mention of helping ease the concern of commuters waiting for delayed trains, who often crowd out on to the platform in hopes of finding out information about just how late they'll arrive home that night.

Read the full notice:

A message to MARC Passengers that travel from Washington Union Station--

Amtrak and MARC management have been working over the past several weeks to improve passenger flow at Union Station. After careful consideration and examination of many alternatives, the following procedures are now in effect for boarding MARC trains during the afternoon rush hour at Union Station:

Camden and Brunswick Line trains will board through Gate A.

Penn Line trains will board through Gate B and/or C.

In both cases, these boarding gates will be the standard procedure, unless otherwise noted on the station train status monitors and the MARC Train information display board. Passengers are encouraged to check the board/monitors each day not only for their numeric track assignment but their lettered boarding gate; they will be required to board their train through the assigned gate.

We understand that these new procedures may add a minute or two in the process of boarding your train and appreciate your understanding. A more long-term effort to study and recommend ways to re-configure Union Station to better reflect Amtrak and MARC’s needs in the 21st century is underway.

In addition to the boarding gate changes, the following measures will be implemented to ensure passenger safety and security. Passengers will no longer be permitted to wait for trains before they are posted for boarding in the area outside of Gates A, B, and C or out on the platforms. Passengers may only proceed to their train when the train is posted for boarding on the station train status monitors and/or announced by an Amtrak employee. MARC passengers found waiting in either of these areas will be directed to return to the station by Amtrak station staff, Amtrak or CSX conductors, and MARC staff. Amtrak Police will be assisting in this effort as well. Again, these changes will ensure passenger safety and security at Union Station and allow Amtrak and MARC staff to better manage crowd control in the event of a service disruption.

Thank you for riding MARC Train Service.

February 2, 2010 12:19 PM

Stuck on MARC interviewed on stimulus $ for high speed rail

A Capitol News Service reporter called Stuck on MARC on Friday to get feedback on whether or not Maryland commuter rail was short-changed in the President's announcement of $8 billion of stimulus funds for high speed rail across the country. You can find the full story here and here.

Here's the section of the story that focused on our conversation:

Meanwhile, thousands of Maryland commuters like Julia Marsh of Baltimore continue to hope for better service on Amtrak and MARC trains.

Marsh, who has ridden the MARC Penn Line from Baltimore's Penn Station to Washington's Union Station every day for almost two years, questioned the impact of the proposed high-speed rail investments on middle-class commuters.

"Why are the president and vice president really making this push for high-speed rail when the commuter rail system...is in such horrible shape?" she asked, adding, "It's really going to take a major investment, and throwing a little bit of money at the problem isn't going to do much."

MARC Riders Advisory Council Chairman Rafael Guroian said, "Speaking as a commuter, I wish that the grant would have been higher; however, even $8 billion wouldn't have been enough for what they need to do in our area.

At first I indicated on the blog that I was pleased to see that Baltimore would directly benefit from $112 million in improvements to the Northeast Corridor, specifically from Boston to New York and Washington DC. In conversations with MRAC Chair Rafi Guroian I learned that MARC could get a piggyback benefit from updates to Amtrak rails, which the state commuter system also uses. Rafi also warned that the piggyback effect would take a substantial sum of money to make a difference.

After speaking with a veteran Amtrak conductor I learned that throwing money at studies and 10-year plans rarely result in actual improved infrastructure in the near or intermediate term.

I also realized that we got barely a drop in the proverbial bucket.

Indeed the Capitol News Service reporter quotes Congressman John Mica of Florida calling Maryland's allotment of the funds "peanuts" and "an insult." Indeed the $70 million that will go directly to Maryland's railways is meager compared to $2.2 billion for California and $1.2 billion for Florida.

Here's to hoping that those studies lead to actual enhancement of the MARC system, preferably in the form of decreased delays.