(The Baltimore Sun posted the following article on its website on November 20.)
BALTIMORE, Md. — MARC service on the Penn Line between Washington and Baltimore is expected to resume in time for this morning’s commuter rush, a Maryland Transit Administration spokeswoman said yesterday evening.
Service on the rail commuter line had been halted since Thursday evening when three empty CSX Corp. coal cars derailed between Bowie and Landover, damaging power lines and the tracks.
Officials have said Thursday’s heavy rains could have been a factor in the derailment.
The derailment had thousands of Friday commuters scrambling for other means of transportation.
Cliff Black, a spokesman for Amtrak, the rail passenger company that owns the tracks, said yesterday that its service on the railway was “virtually back to normal,” and crews managed to clear most of the damage and debris.
One of the three sets of tracks at the site remained closed as workers continued to make repairs, but they are not expected to cause delays today, Black said.