Officials celebrated a new maintenance facility for MARC on Dec. 16 by holding a ribbon cutting ceremony at the rail service’s new Riverside Heavy Maintenance Facility in Baltimore, Md. The facility will be fully operational in mid-2023 and will allow Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA) to decrease repair times, increase fleet availability and improve on-time performance.
“Maintaining a balanced transportation system in a state of good repair is critical to customers and communities we serve across Maryland,” said MDOT Secretary James F. Ports, Jr. “The new MARC Riverside facility exemplifies our commitment to improve our transit network, maintain convenient and reliable service and provide customers with options that can help alleviate traffic congestion and reduce vehicle emissions.”
“I’m excited for the impact this facility will have on our MARC Train service,” said MDOT MTA Administrator Holly Arnold. “With its specialized machinery, this building will enable MARC to improve service and operate more efficiently for decades to come.”
Maintenance staff will begin a testing and commission period for the facility’s wheel truing machine and drop table. That process must be completed for each type of MARC vehicle and will take several months. The building is designed to accommodate future rolling stock, allowing MTA to procure dual-mode or electric locomotives in the future to operate on the Penn Line.
The new maintenance facility also supports future projects for MARC Train, including the proposed Penn-Camden Connector, a commuter rail connection between the two rail lines. It is also an enabling project for the future Frederick Douglass Tunnel/B&P Tunnel Replacement project.
