MDOT MTA cuts ribbon on MARC maintenance facility

Dec. 19, 2022

The new repair facility will support maintenance and operational efficiency that will result in decreased repair time and greater fleet availability.

Mass Transit Staff Report

Officials held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the MARC Riverside Maintenance Facility on Dec. 16, 2022.

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.”

The 35,000-square-foot facility will be fully operational by mid-2023 and includes four maintenance slots for locomotives undergoing heavy maintenance and repair.

Construction on the $64.2 million, 35,000-square-foot facility began in 2021. The MARC Riverside facility includes four maintenance slots for locomotives undergoing heavy maintenance and repair, which MTA says will free up the existing shop building to streamline preventative maintenance and federally required inspections.

“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.

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