How to Start Your Train Ride

With a cup of the elixir of life - Starbucks coffee:

 

Some Thoughts for the Holidays

 

Why?

Because those pictured below are among the thousands who fought for these rights!

 

 

Holidays, Holiday Travelers, Children, Quiet Car

It's that time of year when the non-commuters will flood public transportation for near and far-off places. With the oncoming rush also comes the need for patience and also some gentle training. These travelers will have little-to-no idea what a Quiet car is. So, for handy reference:

Most rush hour MARC trains have a Quiet Car, which is located next to the locomotive at the end of the train. Look for the letter "Q" on the current schedule.

Signs - sometimes the conductors do not post a Quiet car sign. However, the Quiet Car rules are still in effect.
Passengers in the Quiet Car may not talk on mobile phones and must keep all audio devices (e.g., laptops, PDAs, tablets, and pagers) in silent mode or turned off.

Whispering - greeting a fellow passenger in a low voice is fine. Conversations lasting several minutes even if in a low voice, are not fine.

Children on the MARC Train - most children cannot sit quietly enough on an entire trip so should avoid the Quiet car.

If the train is stopped (unloaded, loading passengers), the Quiet Car rules are suspended. In essence, the rules apply when the train is in motion.

Note: Quiet Car is a registered service mark of Amtrak.

http://mta.maryland.gov/marc-riders-guide

http://mta.maryland.gov/marc-frequently-asked-questions

Local Shelter Info

D.C. Shelters:

·       Turkey Thicket Recreation Center, 1100 Michigan Avenue, NE,  202-576-9238

·       Bald Eagle Recreation Center, 100 Joliet Street, SW,  202-671-5125

·       Emery Recreation Center, 5701 Georgia Avenue, NW

·       Guy Mason Recreation Center, 3600 Calvert Street, NW ,  202-727-7736

·       Chevy Chase Community Center, 5601 Connecticut Avenue, NW,  202-282-2204

·       Deenwood Community Center, 1350 49th Street NE,  202-671-3077

Maryland Shelters:

Prince George's County:

·       Charles H. Flowers High School, 10001 Ardwick Ardmore Road Springdale, MD 20774

·       Ritchie Coliseum, University of Maryland, 7950 Baltimore Ave, College Park, Md. (pet friendly)

 

Montgomery County (Opens on Monday at 12 p.m.):

·       White Oak Community Recreation Center, 1700 April Lane, Silver Spring (pet friendly).

·       Mid-County Community Recreation Center, 2004 Queensguard Road.

 

Virginia Shelters:

Stafford County (Opens on Monday at 10 a.m.):
T. Benton Gayle Middle School, 100 panther drive in Fredericksburg Va.

Source: http://www.wusa9.com/news/article/227283/158/DC-Area-Shelters-Open-As-Massive-Storm-Approaches

 

MARC and Metro Closed in Preparation for "Sandy"

Just to make sure everyone is aware of the public transportation status today.

Also, keep these tips handy:

·       Have both a Shelter In Place plan and an Evacuation plan.

·       Always Report your power outage to whether it's just your house or the whole neighborhood:

o   PEPCO: 877-737-2662.

o   Allegheny Power: 800-255-3443.

o   Baltimore Gas & Electric (BG&E): 877-778-2222

·       Montgomery County residents: report downed trees and other non-emergency issues:

o   In Montgomery County, Call 311 (Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m)

o   Outside of Montgomery County, call 240-777-031

o   log onto www.mc311.com

o   Website: www.montgomerycountymd.gov/311  

·       Emergencies such as “hot” or sparkling wires or injured or ill people:

o   Call 911

·       Sign up for your area’s Alerts:

o   District of Columbia  https://textalert.ema.dc.gov 

o   Gaithersburg  https://alert.gaithersburgmd.gov/

o   Montgomery County  https://alert.montgomerycountymd.gov/

o   MTA/MARC  http://www.mtamarylandalerts.com/LoginC.aspx

o   OPM  http://www.opm.gov/Operating_Status_Schedules/          

·       Food Safety:

o   Refrigerated food can last up to four hours. After that, discard all perishables.

o   Frozen food can last up to 48 hours if  the freezer is full but if it isn’t then only up to 24 hours.

o   See this for detail and print out a copy before you lose power:   www.fsis.usda.gov/fact_sheets/keeping_food_Safe_during_an_emergency/index.asp

·       Print out a list of emergency numbers and people who could help you and people you should check on.

·       Remember to recharge all critical electronic devices (obviously before power goes out J).

Keep Your Feet Off The Seat!

I have another break with my tradition of keeping this blog light. I lived a lot of places in my half-century of life but nowhere else do I see people putting their shod feet on the opposite chair on public transportation like MARC.

In addition to being lazy and inconsiderate, there are millions of germs on the bottom of shoes that will be transferred to the next person sitting on that seat!

 

The train is not a place for you to take a nap or snuggle up like you’re at home watching TV. It is public transportation. If your redneck mom didn’t teach you any better, then let auntie Doreen tell you like it is.

Yes, Other People Can Smell You

When I started this blog, I wanted to keep it light and informative. Today I need to break that tradition. The past few weeks I ended up sitting next to several people whom the locals would describe as ripe!

 

While it is true Hollywood stars started the “no bath for weeks on end” trend a number of years ago, the rest of us on planet Earth need to bathe regularly. Why? Because other people really can smell you!

If you look or smell like you need a bath, beware. I carrry a packet of wipes with me and I may just give into my desire to give you a good scrub down!

Take the September Survey on the Revised Brunswick Line schedule

How do you feel the revised Brunswick Line Schedule is working for you? You have in-person and online opportunities to provide MARC with feedback.

 

MARC is  offering several Open House events to discuss your feedback. See right pane on this web site for details.

 

Please take a few minutes to answer the online survey regarding the Brunswick Line schedule change:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VHRMTMR (Sent Tue 09/25/12 12:40 PM)

For your convenience, you can review the survey here before completing it online (click on the image to enlarge):

 

New Seating At Gaithersburg Station

MARC riders may want to thank the City of Gaithersburg (cityhall@gaithersburgmd.gov) for our new covered benches pictured below:

 

Is MARC Really a PARTY Train?

Every year since 9/11/2001, I take time to remember those who lost their lives in such a public tragedy. Sometimes it’s as simple as changing my Desktop wallpaper to “The Flag Remains” photo. This year was no exception and even though we’ve past the 10^th anniversary, I expected the local media to do a somber tribute to the victims or detail the lingering emotional effects on DC workers and residents.

To my horror, the Washington Post Express free edition took a page out of Fox network’s play book. The 9/11/12 headline story entitled “Now Arriving: The Party” wasn’t even about the celebration of life after 9/11. It was about MARC riders who drink alcohol and eat their way home from work on a regular basis.

 

 

When we get to Page 9, with the inflammatory subheading, “High-Speed Happy Hour”, writer Ted Trautman continues to slant the article based on the behavior of the “three” people he interviewed. Even looking closely at the pictures of a half-empty train, I couldn’t help feel that despite his careful wording in the article, he created a misimpression of us all as cliquey passengers who are a bunch of drunks with munchies.

Mr. Trautman, was 9/11/12 really that slow a news day in the DC area?

DC Drivers - This is Why We Take The MARC

Ben Giles' article “Study: D.C. drivers worst in nation” made my day. This is because I have a "handicap".

My handicap is I HATE to drive. In fact, I would rather get stuck with a pin than drive. As I was growing up, my uncles graciously supported my emotional crutch and drove me when I couldn't take public transportation. As I got older and moved away, I relied on my now deceased husband, Ron, to cart me around.

Since he passed away, I am on my own. Stress built up over these dark years. I did not get comfort for my driving-induced trauma. Many locals gave me that "it's just you" look whenever I complained about the area driving habits. When my old friends visited, they agreed with me but that didn't help my case with the aforementioned locals.

Today, I am vindicated by Allstate's annual Worst Drivers report. Five years in a row, yep count 'em, DC drivers are the worst in the nation!

Ta da. Now I can die happy. Things come to those who wait.

Source:

http://washingtonexaminer.com/study-d.c.-drivers-worst-in-nation/article/2506263

Losing Our Moral Compass - Silver Spring Transit Center

I’ve been riding the MARC train into DC for just over nine years. With the area overgrowth spurred by money-hungry politicians, it pays to keep an eye on the passing scenery no matter how bleary-eyed one is.  

One fine day, as we approached the Silver Spring station, we saw the start of something big - the Silver Spring Transit Center. The $112 million Paul S. Sarbanes Center is being built is to centralize various modes of commuter transportation (Metro Rail, MARC train, Ride-On and Metro buses, cabs). ^1,2

The immediate reaction of fellow MARC riders was unanimously self-centered: “What about Shark Week? Will we still be able to see the Shark?” we shouted woefully.

If you are not in the “know”, every summer Discovery Channel does “Shark Week” and to advertise this, they display the head and fins of an gigantic inflatable shark outside their building. If the transit center ends up being too tall, we won’t see the Shark.

http://www.livbit.com/article/2010/07/29/gigantic-shark-on-discovery-channels-building/

As time went on, construction slowly progressed but bigger and more serious issues than Shark Week arose: flaking concrete and concrete that is either too thin or too thick! While it’s obvious that thin concrete won't hold enough weight, too thick concrete puts stress on supports than may not hold the additional weight.
Parsons Brinckerhoff was tasked with designing a structure to hold 32 buses, 54 cabs, and all the bus, Metro and MARC trains.⁴ The last thing we need is concrete that won't support all that weight! Their design specified "the structure…be safer, more durable, stronger and longer lasting..." I think we can all agree this is a GOOD thing.

While the costs are being paid from many sources, Montgomery County is in the mix and it has “higher standards” consistent with those specified with the designers.⁴ So, what exactly is the problem? While there is some debate if the structure is safe as is, the point is this: "The Silver Spring Transit Center does not meet Montgomery County building code requirements..." because General contractor, Foulger-Pratt, intentionally “used … the "minimum requirements necessary….”⁴  

How do I know that? Principal Clayton Foulger publicly stated: "That structure meets the load tests that are required of it in a safe way," he said. "Now, is it exactly the way it was designed? No, it is not."⁴ I almost fell out of my chair when I read that. They knowingly did not build what they were paid to build. If they did it with malice of forethought, why should they get paid?

What’s worse is Mr Foulger insists on continuing as is with an ETA of August or September.⁴

 Sources:

1,2:http://silverspring.patch.com/articles/speak-out-are-you-frustrated-with-silver-spring-transit-center-delays-e4dc5bbd
3:http://silverspring.patch.com/articles/silver-spring-transit-center-costs-raises-by-11-million#photo-9029152
4:http://washingtonexaminer.com/article/642626
5:http://washingtonexaminer.com/article/379326

Traffic worsens as Gaithersburg narrows Diamond Ave.

Well folks, I submitted some comments about one of the Washington Examiner's articles concerning area traffic congestion and my whole note about the impact of the Archstone Apartment complex on getting to the MARC station got printed in today's paper version. Their title is more dramatic than mine but why quibble with my 15 minutes of fame.

It's also online. See the second letter to the Editor entitled "Disastrous narrowing of Diamond Avenue "on this link: Washington Examiner - Letters to the editor-August-1-2012

What are CSX Heat Orders?

As we are in a heat wave with temperatures over 90 and hitting 100 degrees, two of MARC's lines are hit with "heat restrictions". Why the third doesn't is a matter of track ownership. Here is the "official" explanation:

What are Heat Orders?

Thursday, March 15, 2012 - 11:51am

Passengers on the Brunswick and Camden Lines often see messages during the spring and summer informing them that there are “heat orders” in effect. CSX Transportation, the owner of the Brunswick and Camden Lines, reduces the maximum speed of passenger trains by 20mph (but not under 40mph) under one or both of the following conditions:

• Consistent ambient temperatures of 85 degrees or greater
• A 25 degree swing in temperatures either warmer or colder in a 24-hour period.

Criteria for heat orders are more stringently implemented when trackwork has recently taken place. Newly-installed rail and ties are more likely to shift in high heat and fluctuating temperature conditions. An example of a sunkink can be viewed by clicking here.

Typically, heat orders cause delays of 5-15 minutes. The less stops that a train make and thus the more time a train spends operating a maximum authorized speed (such as Brunswick Line train 877 or Camden Line train 852), the greater the impact the heat orders will have on maintaining schedules.

In addition, CSX dispatches track inspectors to check the rails during these conditions. This requires one of two tracks to be out of service and may cause additional delays. Our colleagues at the Virginia Railway Express have written an extensive explanation of heat orders, which can be found on their website.

Heat orders do not take effect on the Penn Line until temperatures reach 95 or 100 degrees, and these restrictions relate primarily to the overhead electric wires. Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor is a heavily-engineered, high speed railroad and much less prone to sun kinks because there is much more frequent, high-speed service, which discourages sun kinks from forming. Also, the Camden and Brunswick Lines have many more curves than the Penn Line does, limiting engineers’ ability to see track defects. It is important to note that this does not mean that CSX tracks are unsafe—CSX maintains its tracks in compliance with all Federal Railroad Administration regulations.

Source: http://mta.maryland.gov/advisories/what-are-heat-orders[06/21/12 11:15:54 AM]

Brunswick Line July 15 Schedule Image

Specific information on changes between Version 2 and the final schedule change:
A.M. Service

• The first departures in the morning from Brunswick and Frederick will be 10 minutes earlier, to ensure that customers can arrive in Washington by 6:30am and 6:45am, respectively. This was requested by many passengers.
• At the request of passengers and the Mayor and Town Council of Kensington, the proposed 6:25 a.m. stop at Kensington on Train 890 will be dropped and a later stop added to Train 876 at 7:42 a.m. This will also help Frederick Branch riders as this train will make one less stop.
• The proposed 6:00 a.m. departure from Martinsburg will be shifted to 5:00 a.m., at the request of West Virginia passengers.

P.M. Service

• The 4:25 p.m. Washington departure of Train 875 will be maintained. Draft two had proposed a 4:15 p.m. departure, which was disruptive to customers’ schedules.
• The 5:15 p.m. Washington departure of Train 893 will be maintained. Draft two had proposed a 5:35 p.m. departure; customers complained that this added a significant amount of time to their commute.
• Train 881, the proposed 6:15 p.m. departure to Martinsburg, will depart at 6:20 p.m. to provide more even spacing of service to West Virginia.
• Train 895 will depart Washington at 6:40pm to provide adequate spacing between it and train 881 and also at the request of passengers who make connections from the Camden and Penn Lines.
• Running time between Monocacy and Frederick is standardized for all trains at 10 minutes

Source: http://mta.maryland.gov/advisories/marc-brunswick-line-schedule-change-july-16

MARC Brunswick Line "Final" Schedule Comparison

Hi folks, this is hot off the press. I received a copy of the schedule MARC plans to activate on July 16, 2012.

They made some changes from the Second Draft meaning you need to review the third version row by row and column by column. http://tinyurl.com/bruns-july12

The personnel who worked on these changes are John Hovatter and Dave Johnson pictured here below. You may have spoken with them at the Meet the Management sessions or seen them at Union Station in DC.

John Hovatter & Dave Johnson at December Gaithersbury City Council Meeting

Here is the Eastbound Schedule released to the Advisory Committee Members:

Here is the Westbound Schedule released to the Advisory Committee Members:

Feel free to comment on this blog and to those at MARC as well as your local government officials.

Director, MARC Train (John Hovatter): jhovatter1@mta.maryland.gov

MARC Trainmaster (David R. Johnson): djohnson25@mta.maryland.gov

MTA Customer Service Superintendent (Donna Walsh): dwalsh@mta.maryland.gov

Heads Up for LinkedIn Users - Millions of Passwords Stolen

If you have an account on LinkedIn, be aware that over six million were stolen and posted online. While the company notified those affected, I suggest you change your password as soon as possible even if you didn't hear from them.

More importantly, if you use that same password on other accounts, they could be at risk too. Hackers will eventually branch out. I suggest you change that password on every other account you used it on. Better safe than sorry.

Here is one link: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/6-5-million-linkedin-passwords-stolen-posted-online-article-1.1091089

Just in - Reviews of Draft 2 MARC Schedule

I have a written summary and my Compare charts as I noticed some typos in the ones MARC released.

Morning link: http://marcriderbl.blogspot.com/p/review-of-draft-2-evening-commute-or.html
Evening link:http://marcriderbl.blogspot.com/p/review-of-draft-2-evening-commute-or.html

Comment to MARC: MARC@mta.maryland.gov

Time-sensitive Must Answer MARC Survey

Tomorrow will be the last day  day to take Brunswick Line schedule change survey Draft 2.
http://tinyurl.com/MARC-Brunswick


I am sorry I haven't been able to post my review of the changes but my real job has been busy. I do have the morning portion reviewed but the big changes are in the afternoon.


Please take the survey. Those of you who stood up and voiced your concerns were heard. If needed, do so again. You can make a difference.

MARC Brunswick Line Town Hall Meetings

Late Breaker News - MARC at Brunswick Tonight

2nd draft of Brunswick Line schedule proposal now available

Hi everyone. I was wondering when the "wave" would hit us. MARC just released the second draft of the Proposed Brunswick Line schedule. I see they liked my comparision charts and presented the info that way too (Yes, I am tooting my own horn. At my age, sometimes that's as good as it gets.) http://tinyurl.com/MARC-Brunswick

I will be looking carefully at the changes across the line. But, as before, if you have a concern, speaking up does make a difference.http://tinyurl.com/Bruns-survey

Keep an eye out for the updates. The current schedule info is from the first draft. Thanks for all your support.

MARC Passengers - Elbow to Elbow?

Did you happen to see the Washington Post article by Mark Berman (3/26/12) noting that MARC/MTA set records this February? MARC came in at a whopping "average weekday ridership of 35,210" which is up 6.1% from the same period last year.

This is timely because we are expecting MARC to release the next version of their proposed 2012 Brunswick Line schedule in the next couple weeks. Keep tuned for that!

Cough and Sneeze Time of Year – What You Can Do

It never ceases to amaze me how many passengers have no clue what they should do when they are about to cough or sneeze in a public place. Here are the instructions from the CDC, WHO, and some state health agencies:

Helping the Hungry by Eating Out on Tuesday February 28th?

Yes. Once again several sponsors are hosting "Thankgiving in February." This means that if you dine at one of the participating places, a portion goes to help Montgomery County Residents.

Check out web site: www.thanksgivinginfebruary.org