MARC meltdown --- in the snow!

[MARC Rider]

So they cancelled my Amtrak rez for this morning last Saturdsy, I figured no bog deal, I'll just take MARC. I checked last evening, and they said they were going to run on the R snow schedule. So I get up at an ungodly hour clear about an inch of fluffy snow off my car and drive down to Penn Station.

What do I find? All the MARC trains are cancelled today! There's a Northest regional coming by in about an hour and a half that just left Trenton and seems more or less on time, so I guess I'll have to wait.

This seems really screwy. It looks like this snowstorm, in Baltimore at least, is not going to be the frozen terror that being touted by the media. Radar seems to shaw that the heaviest snow is between Washington and Richmond. Also, I wasn't too impressed with the road clearing I saw at 0530. I mean, it's still showing, but not really that hard. Seems like Maryland DOT is going to have some explaining to do.

 

[MARC Rider]

The screen of shame.

 

[railiner]

The screen of shame.

Acela running on time, but Regionals cancelled?

 

[jiml]

I guess it's only us old folks who remember when trains ran in just about any weather. If you needed to get somewhere a train was your best bet.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Acela running on time, but Regionals cancelled?

Lots of Acela's were cancelled too.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

I guess it's only us old folks who remember when trains ran in just about any weather. If you needed to get somewhere a train was your best bet.

Downed trees and wires, plus ice on wires, on the NEC, is a bigger issue than snow. Trees are getting old and tired, and with so much developement along the route(s), the ground holding those trees probably is not as sturdy as it used to be.

 

[MARC Rider]

Here's the departure board at Washington. I'm taking 196 home. All the shops in the station are closed, except a limited selection at Sbarro.

 

[MARC Rider]

Here's the departure board at Washington. I'm taking 196 home. All the shops in the station are closed, except a limited selection at Sbarro.

Took the picture too early, now 196 has a 20 minute delay.

 

[MARC Rider]

"Late inbound arrival of equipment." And there were at least 3 other Northeast Regional trains etc sitting at nearby tracks. And it's a10 car train, just like 111 was this morning. The platform at track 14 wasn't long enough for a 10 car train.

 

[Dutchrailnut]

I guess it's only us old folks who remember when trains ran in just about any weather. If you needed to get somewhere a train was your best bet.

Thank safety deptartments, all year its demanding stupid safety stuff, yet during snow storms they expect workers to risk their lives - cars- etc. No no longer working, in old days people use to hole up in bunk rooms but cost cutting made those gone too.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

"Late inbound arrival of equipment." And there were at least 3 other Northeast Regional trains etc sitting at nearby tracks. And it's a10 car train, just like 111 was this morning. The platform at track 14 wasn't long enough for a 10 car train.

133 turns for 196. 133 arrived at WAS at about 5:45.

 

[Tom C]

It’s important to remember that running in the storms means bringing all the employees in sometimes in areas where authorities are saying keep off the roads and keeping the railroad going in a snow storm is in many ways even more labor intensive. You’re also going to see a natural decrease in ridership on such a day. Running a reduced schedule as Amtrak did doesn’t seem totally unreasonable. As far as MARC a bit surprised to see they dropped everything and didn’t run a reduced schedule.