Maryland commuter contract to Amtrak
Amtrak has been awarded a five-year contract by Maryland Department of Transportation-Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) to continue operating commuter rail services.
MARC
Federal court hands Purple Line legal win
A legal victory could help get Maryland’s Purple Line light rail project back on track after a federal judge dismissed environmental claims in a lawsuit that has blocked the project since August 2016.
Bombardier awarded $36.8 million contract to overhaul MARC III cars
In an effort to improve safety, increase reliability and provide passengers with a more comfortable ride, the Maryland Department of Transportation’s Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) has awarded a $36.8 million contract to Bombardier Transportation to overhaul 63 MARC III bi-level commuter rail cars, MTA announced Feb. 4, 2016.
Three states add to Siemens Charger orders
California, Illinois and Maryland have ordered a combined 34 Charger diesel-electric passenger locomotives from Siemens Mobility, bringing the number of state Departments of Transportation procuring these units to six and the total number of units to 69. The locomotives will be built at the Siemens rail manufacturing plant in Sacramento, Calif.
The locomotive landscape
2015 is adding up to be a year of innovation, and a few surprises, in the North American locomotive market.
MARC replacing electric locomotive fleet with high-speed diesels
The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) has decided to phase out its 10-unit fleet of AEM7 and HHP8 electric locomotives used for MARC regional/commuter rail service and replace them with eight new 125-mph “Charger” diesel-electric locomotives from Siemens Industry.
B&P tunnel study moves forward
With a goal of addressing a longstanding bottleneck along the Northeast Corridor, the Federal Railroad Administration, Maryland Department of Transportation, and Amtrak are advancing an engineering and environmental study to examine various improvements to the 141-year-old Baltimore and Potomac (B&P) Tunnel in Baltimore, Md.
Wabtec lands MARC PTC contract
The Maryland Board of Public Works has approved a $13 million contract with Wabtec Corp. subsidiary Wabtec Railway Electronics to install Positive Train Control (PTC) equipment on MARC regional passenger railcars.
Maryland to fund Baltimore Red Line
Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley announced Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2013, that the Old Line State will allocate $689 million to Baltimore’s planned light rail Red Line, as part of a $1.5 billion investment in transport projects in the Baltimore metropolitan area.
MARC Penn Line to add weekend service
Maryland Transit Administration’s (MTA) MARC rail operations will add weekend service on its Penn Line, part of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, beginning Dec. 7, 2013, MTA said Tuesday, Sept. 3.