(The following story by Michael Dresser appeared on The Baltimore Sun website on June 28, 2010.)
BALTIMORE, MD. — Last week was, to say the least, interesting on the MARC Penn Line — much as in the old Chinese curse: “May you live in interesting times.”
It was a hot week, and high heat has a way of turning MARC into the equivalent of a candy bar on the sidewalk at midday in July.
The meltdown began last Monday evening with the stranding of a Baltimore-bound train on the tracks outside Washington with almost 1,000 commuters being slow-roasted inside. It continued with power failures and engine malfunctions Tuesday night, compounded by storms that brought down trees and wires on the line. Thursday brought reports of train cars without air-conditioning lumbering through the 100-degree heat from Washington to Perryville. At least the train kept moving. Friday, there was another tree on the tracks in the morning. It was that kind of week.
One thing everybody involved with MARC should understand: People got off easy Monday. It could have been a lot worse. The Amtrak crew lost control of the train and riders felt they were forced to break out to survive. It could have easily escalated into a panic, or if reports were true of riders being threatened with arrest for removing windows, an ugly confrontation with Amtrak police.
The Monday night follies are now the subject of an investigation. And, after first balking, Maryland Transit Administration chief Ralign T. Wells has agreed to hold a “town hall” to get riders’ version of events and to give them a venue to vent a little. They deserve that.
While the answers to some questions must await the results of the investigation, it’s not too early for a few observations and recommendations to MARC and its riders:
For MARC
• Accurate information: MARC officials must get a handle on any information about service malfunctions and provide accurate information to the public. A log of what happened the day before should be posted on the Web the next morning, with archives for posterity and a place for public comment. Sanitizing the record should be a firing offense. Keeping the public informed has to be everybody’s job — operations people as well as public information officers.
• MARC Manual: Every airline flight begins with a safety announcement covering problems far less likely than a stranded train. Maybe that’s impractical, but why not distribute a “What You Need to Know If You Ride MARC” handbook, with instructions of what to do in emergencies? The same book could inform riders about who’s responsible for what at MARC — an endless source of guesswork.
• Safety mind-set: Railroad folks seem to be very conscious of the dangers of trains in motion but oblivious to the dangers of a train at rest under a hot sun for hours. MARC needs to stress to its contractors that heat stroke can kill a person just as dead as walking in front of an Acela train.
• Heat monitoring: A low-cost, low-tech thermometer that can be checked by passengers and conductors alike could be posted in each car. There should be an established protocol of how hot or cold it can get and for how long before emergency procedures — including an orderly evacuation of the train — are set in motion. Those protocols should be posted in each car so everyone knows the rules.
• Emergency calls: Amtrak and the MTA should post emergency numbers in each car where riders can report an emergency from their cell phones. Top officials, up to the secretary of transportation, should see that some trusted MARC regulars have their personal cell phones or e-mail addresses with instructions to call in an emergency. That’ll keep Amtrak on its toes.
• Backup air conditioning: Sometimes the air-conditioning will fail, no matter who is in charge. And many riders will want to press on rather than get off. But there is one thing Amtrak, CSX and the MTA can do in hot weather: Provide low-tech hand fans such as those Southern church women use every Sunday. Ideal? No. Better than nothing? You bet.
• Drill, baby, drill: What happens when a MARC train breaks down on the most inaccessible spot on the line in 100-degree heat? Why not put out a call for volunteers to practice for it some scorching Saturday? Give the participants a voucher they can apply to the next month’s pass.
• “Minor” problem: No matter how bad the problems are, including last Monday’s, if you go to the MTA website, you’re likely to see them described as “minor disruptions.” This irritates the heck out of customers. Note to MTA: Abolish the word “minor.” Just call them “disruptions” or “major disruptions.”
For riders
• Choose the right whine: If a locomotive gives out, go ahead and curse MARC. If the power goes out at Union Station, blame Amtrak. But if a storm brings a tree and wires down on the track, address complaints to a Higher Authority.
• And water: Maybe MARC will arrange for an emergency supply before the next meltdown, but when the heat soars, it will be a wise rider who carries bottled water.
• And line: When it gets hot, consider a switch to the CSX-operated, all-diesel MARC Camden Line if practical. It’s slower, especially during heat restrictions, but at least it’s not prone to electrical failures.
• Stay cool: When temperatures in the 90s or above are expected, dress for a stranding or air-conditioning malfunction. Leave power clothes at home or in the office. It’s time to introduce Washington bosses to the concept of MARC-wear.
• Careful what you wish for: Some riders have expressed the hope that Amtrak can be replaced as MARC’s Penn Line contractor. Maybe that would be better but maybe not. If that happened, there would be an additional layer of bureaucracy between MARC and the owner of the tracks, key stations, the power supply and the dispatch system.
• MARC politics: Take anything the leading gubernatorial candidates say with a grain of salt. Politicians have been known to stretch the truth.