Copyright 2000 The Washington Post
The Washington
Post
December 21, 2000, Thursday, Final Edition
SECTION: METRO; Pg. B01
LENGTH: 565 words
HEADLINE:
Md. to Help CSX Improve Rail Service; State Offers $30 Million As Part of
Incentive Plan
BYLINE: Lyndsey Layton, Washington Post
Staff Writer
BODY:
Maryland has agreed to
pump $ 30 million into the private railroad that carries most of the state's
MARC commuter rail service to untangle congestion on the tracks
and improve the ride for passengers.
In exchange, CSX Transportation,
the freight carrier that owns most of the railroad, has agreed
to pay a fine every time on-time performance of MARC commuter
trains slips below 90 percent. When the railroad exceeds expectations, the state
will pay a bonus into the same fund, which will be used to improve tracks and
signals. The agreement, part of a two-year contract approved by Maryland
officials yesterday, links financial incentives to reliability.
Service
has been erratic on CSX-operated MARC lines, which run between Washington and
Perryville, Md., and between Washington and Martinsburg, W.Va. Passengers make
22,000 trips a day on MARC's three lines, two of which run on CSX tracks and one
of which operates on track owned by Amtrak.
Yesterday, Maryland also
approved $ 9 million for upgrading Amtrak's track.
"We had a sense of
frustration [with CSX] that we were not getting across how important on-time
reliability is to us," Maryland Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari said.
"We tried to make reliability the centerpiece of the contract."
Earlier
this year, when about 20 percent of the trains were running late, riders were so
angry that state officials held town meetings to air commuter grievances.
CSX officials say it is difficult to weave passenger and freight trains
together along the heavily used Maryland tracks. During heavy traffic, CSX
dispatchers often idle MARC trains, allowing more profitable freight trains to
roll through.
But MARC service has been improving since spring, and last
month, 93 percent of MARC trains were on time. Kathy Waters, MARC's general
manager, suggested the smoother passenger service was connected to a drop in
CSX's freight business.
In the contract approved by the Board of Public
Works yesterday, Maryland will invest $ 6 million in state money and $ 24
million in federal money into improvements to the track owned by CSX
Transportation. The freight railroad has agreed to chip in $ 6 million for its
share of improvement projects.
"It's a recognition by the state that the
capacity is an issue for both freight and passenger operations and in order for
both of those to grow, we're going to need to enhance capacity," said Rob Gould,
a CSX spokesman.
The specific improvements have yet to be determined but
are likely to include new sidings in heavily traveled areas and an upgrading of
the signal system. Porcari said the work will increase the railroad's capacity
and make it possible for ridership to grow. "If you look at the volume that MARC
carries and the fact that reliability is the cornerstone of growing ridership in
the future, this is a balanced investment," Porcari said.
Under the
agreement, MARC will continue to run 38 trains a day. Next winter, when the new
branch between Point of Rocks and Frederick opens, four trains will be added to
the daily schedule.
Although Maryland's $ 30 million investment is
significant, it pales in comparison with what Virginia is doing. Virginia Gov.
James S. Gilmore III (R) has committed $ 100 million in state and federal funds
to a $ 380 million project to to build a third track for CSX between Richmond
and Washington.
LOAD-DATE: December 21, 2000
