MARC running short of equipment

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MARC has had trains for the last 7 business days short one or two passenger cars on many trains. 

Here is link to their announcement for today

 

MARC 536 (510 dpt WAS) and MARC 642 (550 dpt WAS) will operate with one fewer rail car than usual this afternoon. Expect crowded conditions on board the trains. Boarding will be stopped when the trains have reached capacity. We regret any inconvenience.

 

[BaltACD]

blue streak 1

MARC has had trains for the last 7 business days short one or two passenger cars on many trains. 

Here is link to their announcement for today

 

MARC 536 (510 dpt WAS) and MARC 642 (550 dpt WAS) will operate with one fewer rail car than usual this afternoon. Expect crowded conditions on board the trains. Boarding will be stopped when the trains have reached capacity. We regret any inconvenience.

Those are both Penn Line trains.

[blue streak 1]

do not track Camden or Brunswick lines but they also are having intermittent car shortages.

Another Penn line shortage today   example

LINK

 

Today at 1:08 PM

MARC 634 (440 dpt WAS) will operate with one fewer railcar than usual this afternoon. Expect crowded conditions on board the trains. Boarding will be stopped when the trains have reached capacity. We regret any inconvenience.

[blue streak 1]

Another Penn le shortageay.As wel not all passenges could  get on.

 

 

MARC Service Alert Train 641(Martins's Dpt 3:53:) and 642 (Wash Dpt 5:50 pm) will operate with one fewer rail car than usual today. Expect crowded conditions on board the train. Boarding will be stopped when the train h

To

MTA Maryland Alerts Subscriber

 

 

Today at 12:45 PM

Train 641(Martins's Dpt 3:53:) and 642 (Wash Dpt 5:50 pm) will operate with one fewer rail car than usual today.  Expect crowded conditions on board the train.  Boarding will be stopped when the train has reached capacity.  We regret any inconvenience. 

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

A shortage of spare equipment is not that unusual in this day and age.  Metra has admitted that it has only a handful of spare cars beyond the usual allowance of down time for maintenance and shop work.

[Warren J]

CSSHEGEWISCH

A shortage of spare equipment is not that unusual in this day and age.  Metra has admitted that it has only a handful of spare cars beyond the usual allowance of down time for maintenance and shop work.

 I recall when MARC ran only single-level cars along with antiquated "gallery" cars (formerly METRA) after a very brief flirtation with their double-deckers on its Brunswick Line.  They removed those first-gen double-deckers and left us with the older single-levels and "gallery" models (those were purchased for only $1.00 from Chicago's METRA, a great deal for MARC but they had very uneven heating/air-conditioning reliability, leaving many of us freezing/sweltering all the way to our destinations, mine being Harpers Ferry).  I was so happy when they introduced the new Kawasaki double-deckers: finally, HVAC that works!  Unfortunately, I had moved to Laurel but I now ride MARC's Camden Line which also has those new cars introduced at the same time.  What timing!

 

PS: All of those original double-deckers have since been reassigned to MARC's high-traffic Penn Line, traveling between Baltimore and Washington DC on AMTRAK's NEC line.