Commuter safety on MARC

[Anonymous]

This issue of passanger safety has haunted me ever since I experienced the incident back on September 10, 2001. (It has nothing to do with (9/11.)
I was seated on a bench on the platform of MARC's station near BWI airport when I saw an ACELA train round the bend and aproach the station at high speed from the north. It passed through the station on the track next to the platform at a speed that made it impossible for me to track it with my vision...it was virtually a blur! Exciting? You bet! Safe? Well, I'm glad I wasn't standing next to that white line a couple feet back from the edge.
It was a "stealth" train. It was silent in its approach, there was no horn sounded and the station didn't "chime" some pleasant announcement to "please step back." If I hadn't looked up just at the time I did to see its approach I would have been completely surprised at its sudden and potentially catistrophic appearance!
I'm not a regular rider of MARC and I wonder if my experience is typical. If it is, WOW!!!

[Anonymous]

The engineer is required to sound the horn when approaching a passenger station. No, BL, if that was typical, there would be some people hurt. I suspect there is a speed restriction on trains using the platform tracks. At that speed, you don't have to be close to the line...the backdraft behind the movement will suck you along with it.

[daveklepper]

Please, please, report that incident in writing to:

Northeast Corridor Operations, Amtrak
30th Street Station, 30th and Market Street, Philadlephia, PA

You may save a life. You probably don't meed the zipcode and mark the envelope urgent!

Dave Klepper

[RudyRockvilleMD]

I noticed the station in Mystic, CT, which is not a stop for the Acela Express, and not a regular stop for the Northeast Corridor Regional Trains, has flashing signs with the words "Train Approaching" when any train approaches the station. Announcements "Train Approaching, Stay Back of the Yellow Line," are made repeatedly as trains approach. Because Mystic, CT is on a sharp curve all trains pass it at a reduced speed.

[Anonymous]

Im sure there probably is a speed restriction for the station, otherwise it sounds as if MARC would have a lot less commuters.

[RudyRockvilleMD]

One thing I should have mentioned there are three tracks through the BWI station. Track 1, the easternmost track, mostly carries northbound MARC trains and freight trains while Track 2, the center track, mostly carries northbound Amtrak trains. Track 3, the westernmost track, carries all southbound passenger trains regardless whether they are MARC or Amtrak trains.

The BWI station is a regular stop for all MARC trains while only selected Amtrak trains stop at the BWI station. I don't know what if there are speed restrictions in the vicinity of any of MARC's stations on its Penn Line. However, I have noticed MARC trains approaching stations sound their iar horns as a warning if people are present.