After two weeks of reduced service due to a large number of trains out of service for wheel maintenance, service will be restored between Hunt Valley and Cromwell Station/Glen Burnie and BWI Marshall Airport on Sunday, November 23.  Because not all trains are available for service Light Rail will operate some single-car trains which may result in crowded conditions during peak periods.

 

Penn Station-Camden Station shuttle trains will remain out of service, and shuttle buses will provide service between Penn Station and the Mt. Royal/UB stop.

 

Over the past week MTA engineering, operations and safety employees worked overtime to design and test a modification to the train control system that increases the ability of a train to come to a safe stop without damaging the wheels.  The modification utilizes a secondary brake called a “track brake,” and should greatly reduce the number of trains that must be removed from service for repair.  Although MTA believes these measures will dramatically reduce wheel damage, the agency will continue to closely monitor the condition of the wheels and will take the necessary steps to ensure the safety of riders.

 

Only when he was confident that the modification was both safe and effective did MTA Administrator Paul J. Wiedefeld order the restoration of service.  “We are acutely aware of how much our customers depend on Light Rail service, and I am pleased that we were able to identify an interim solution to this problem so quickly,” he said.  “Winter weather conditions will still be a challenge, but at this point we are better equipped to keep the trains running,” Wiedefeld added.

 

In addition to the modification to the train control system, MTA is implementing procedures to reduce sliding such as reducing train speeds in areas where slipping is common, cleaning up to four miles of rail each night with a truck-mounted powerwasher and filling the sand bins on each train so that sand can be applied to the rails to increase friction.