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MARC Restores Service After System-Wide Communication Outage Caused Chaos For Commuters

The Friday morning commute was hectic for some MARC travelers, as service was temporarily suspended and multiple routes were canceled due to a system-wide outage.

An MARC train.

An MARC train.

Photo Credit: Maryland Transit Administration (Facebook)

For several hours, the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) says that the Brunswick, Penn, and Camden lines were affected by a Positive Train Control (PTC) communications issue, forcing the agency to cancel trains.

PTC systems are used to “prevent train-to-train collisions, over-speed derailments, incursions into established work zones, and movements of trains through switches left in the wrong position,” according to the Federal Railroad Administration.

The first cancellations were reported by the MTA at approximately 6 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 20, with restoration reported shortly before 9:45 a.m., though trains are operating on a reduced schedule on Friday afternoon.

Officials have not announced what caused the outage.

“Heads up MARC riders! All three lines are impacted by a PTC communication issue this morning,” MTA Administrator Holly Arnold posted on social media. “I know how inconvenient this is and our team is working to resolve (it) as quickly as possible to provide service.” 

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