Expansion projects that VRE and MARC have in works

[NJRailfan]

NJT has the cutoff, MOM, W Trenton along with that H tunnel and the Meadowlands Railspur beign built/planned.

So what big projects does the VRE and MARC have planned?

[Myke Romeo Angel]

Well don't quote me on this, but i think VRE is planning expansion of it's line to Richmond Virginia if i am not mistaken. I could've swore that i read that in Trains magazine, but i could be just dreaming..

[walt]

VRE may be considering expanding to Richmond, but I am not aware of any expansion projects which would extend actual trackage into areas which do not now have them. Remember both MARC and VRE provide essentially "local" service over long distance, intercity trackage which has existed for a long time. The VRE expansion to Richmond, if it happens, would merely be an extension of VRE service over already existing trackage. Similarly, proposals to extend MARC service to Wilmington, Del to connect with SEPTA surface from time to time, but these, too, would be extension of service using already existing trackage.
The only proposals that I am aware of which would involve new construction are all in the transit area ( WMATA's Purple Line and Dulles extension, and the proposed Baltimore Area Rail Plan which represents a significant expansion of the Central Light Rail Line).

[NJTRailfan]

When will the VRE trains run to Richmond and when will the Dulles Exteniosn be ready along with the Baltimore rail plan? Any time line?

[walt]

The Dulles extension is still in flux-- they're still debating whether to make it a Metrorail line, a Light Rail Line, a Bus- Rapid Transit Line ( an oximoron) or whether to build it at all. ( Virginia has SERIOUS budget problems--- Governor Warner has called the General Assembly back into a special session because they can't pass a budget at this point) -- It won't be commuter rail, in any event.---The projected completion time for the Baltimore Rail Plan is 40 years from now.

[CTAA-Rail]

the first new service that will likely be in operation will be the DC Anacostia light-rail line. This is a project that is actually happening. The Dulles line and to a much lesser extent VRE Richmond service are still very much in the planning process with uncertain funding. The DC government has appropriated funding, and construction is expected to be underway sometime this year.

For all the info on the project, see http://www.dctransitfuture.com/demos/anacostia/

[NJTRailfan]

Looks to me that those two projects will get off the ground and be done sooner then any one of the big 3 projects NJT has.

Plus VRE and MARC has the intelligence that making passengers transfer three times (like what will happen on the W Trenton Line when it comes on line) isn't good for sustaining ridership levels as high as it can go.

[therock]

VRE's "expansion" will likely come first in the form of additional trains which will eventually bring the number of round trips up to 40 from the current 32. A key part is the construction of a new bridge over Quantico Creek for which bids have gone out. The ownership of the station around Quantico is still unclear, and some of the new trips will be reverse commuting on the RF&P side.

VRE has additional leased F40's coming, allowing rotation out of the 39's and 40's for maintenance. The Bombardier Sounder equipment is scheduled to returned by June.

On the MARC side, they are working on 4 projects in the near term:

1) The Penn-Camden connector track
2) MARC maintenance facility
3) Ivy City storage yard
4) Silver Springs intermodal station

The Penn-Camden connector is in "final design" and will reactivate the former PRR Claremont branch to allow a connection for trains on the Northeast Corridor to reach Camden station on the ex-B&O. The route will also traverse along the original alignment of the B&O via the Carrollton Viaduct.

Along the B&O near Carrolls, the MARC maintenance facility is planned near the site of the Wicomico St. intermodal ramp.

The Ivy City storage yard is for midday layover of MARC trains, and the Silver Springs project is improving the connection between the various modes of transit there.

[CTAA-Rail]

I'm immensley curious in the Silver Spring transit center in how it would integrate the Purple Line light rail through some obviously tight clearences.

It seems as of now, there could at best be one track through the area, entering on the empty bridge to the east of the CSX metropolitan sub, then removing the seemingly temporary MARC modular unit building to allow for a trackbed, then acquire some property near the warehouses/etc before a tunnel portal in the old Silver Spring platforms area and under Georgia Ave and Sligo Rd.

Does anyone have any ideas on how this all would go down? We could spin this off in a new thread perhaps...

Also, would the Penn-Camden connector possibly include expanded service for Orioles games, etc? I'd imagine the need to restrict that service is due to CSX limits, thus this would solve that problem.

[walt]

Also, would the Penn-Camden connector possibly include expanded service for Orioles games, etc? I'd imagine the need to restrict that service is due to CSX limits, thus this would solve that problem.

Before they can do this, they would have to solve, or at least address, their "work rules" problem. There was some service to O's games a few years ago, but because of restrictions on the number of hours the train crews could work, trains were leaving before the end of the games. This didn't contribute to optimum ridership ( few O's fans wanted to have to leave an Orioles -Yankees game in the bottom of the 8th inning with the O's behind by one run, two outs and the bases loaded!)

[fairlane57]

I just heard that the state is going to improve the connection between Baltimore Penn and BWI, and that some segment of track is going to be closed until October.

[therock]

I just heard that the state is going to improve the connection between Baltimore Penn and BWI, and that some segment of track is going to be closed until October.

Regarding the above, I believe that you might have heard about the Light Rail line closure, south of Camden Yards. This is for double-tracking of the south end of the lines, one of which is a spur to BWI. So, this won't affect MARC service to BWI. North/east of Baltimore, some MARC trains are being delayed to work along the NEC at various spots, but the line isn't shut down.

There is a desire to add a fourth track along the NEC south of Baltimore from Winans to BWI, but I think that will be still a ways off given the budget situation and Maryland's current transportation priorities.

As to the crew situation for the baseball trains, that can be solved pretty easily, even if the crew can't achieve the 4-hour intermediate rest. The one egregious case was when CSX made an error in protecting the crew for one of the baseball trains (and the dispatcher refused to run the train with a short-time crew). The people returning from the train were stranded on the outlawed train in DC until early in the morning; some took the train out toward their cars just to turn right around and take the inbound train to work. But that incident was certainly the exception.

MARC's biggest obstacle in capacity is both running on the ex-B&O and the layover space in DC. The Penn-Camden connector will allow some through trains to/from Camden to use the NEC. It is also the route for which MARC trains will access their future main shop (to relocate from CSX's Riverside shops) and add some layover capacity (also relocated from Riverside) in the Baltimore area. In the short stretch from Carroll to Camden Station, MARC operations will essentially become segregated from CSX.

CSX is pushing for Maryland's money for the route 450 bridge in Bladensburg for both grade crossing separation and some additional double track. They are also looking to add a third main track through West Baltimore and Mt. Winans and replace Halethorpe (HX) interlocking with a new interlocking a bit further west near the St. Denis station.

[Raakone]

Will the "connector" mean that some NEC MARC trains will be Diesel, or do they plan on electrifying it?

~Ra'akone

[therock]

The connector will also serve as the lead to MARC's maintenance facility, so the trackage itself will be electrified to there.

But, the Camden-DC NEC trains should remain diesel since the line east of the facility (and the B&O) will not be electrified for the time being. MARC trains on the NEC already employ several diesel sets.

As info (on the VRE side), the Quantico Creek bridge project has commenced, and rebuilding of the Quantico station is about to commence. The next major track project should be a third track in DC & Crystal City areas.

[trainhq]

Read recently that VRE was studying expansion to
Gainesville. Are they really serious about this? Is this going to happen in the next few years, or is it further down the pipeline?