DART/MARC/SEPTA to meet for possible extension to Newark

Suburban Station wrote:The best way to serve the market is a low fare Philadelphia-Baltimore service with limited stops (but more than a typical Amtrak train) including Elkton. It would be maintained at Penn Coach yard and turned at BAL and 30th St Station. It should be cheaper to run and carry more riders than transferring in a smaller location.

That actually would make sense. Baltimore Penn Station's Tracks 2 and 3 are empty for most of the day and with some reconstruction can be made into a high-platform turn track pair. Depending on how frequent trains can be, it may not need much track work (but I think having a third track in places will help a ton).

The toilet thing is a FRA rule.

I can't find the exact rule number, but it's under locomotive standards

The limit is 60 miles in a single direction. If the trip is under 60 miles, the FRA says the train crew needs access to bathroom breaks throughout the trip. I guess SEPTA could add some station dwell time at Claymont or Wilmington for a potty break if the crews had to run past Elkton from Suburban.

STrRedWolf wrote:

Suburban Station wrote:The best way to serve the market is a low fare Philadelphia-Baltimore service with limited stops (but more than a typical Amtrak train) including Elkton. It would be maintained at Penn Coach yard and turned at BAL and 30th St Station. It should be cheaper to run and carry more riders than transferring in a smaller location.

That actually would make sense. Baltimore Penn Station's Tracks 2 and 3 are empty for most of the day and with some reconstruction can be made into a high-platform turn track pair. Depending on how frequent trains can be, it may not need much track work (but I think having a third track in places will help a ton).

I thought they kept the platform for track 2/3 low (and unused) so that freight movements could go through the station?
Granted, there's pretty much no freight coming off the NC, any more.
I think the connection was cut, the last time I took light rail through that section.

I never made a statement, reread the post, it's formed in a question.

49 CFR Part 229
[Docket No. FRA 2000–8545, Notice No. 1] RIN 2130–AA89

Look online for the above docket, it will give you plenty of info, after that try the FRA site for locomotive sanitation standards, lots of info if you use a search engine.

scratchy wrote:I thought they kept the platform for track 2/3 low (and unused) so that freight movements could go through the station?
Granted, there's pretty much no freight coming off the NC, any more.
I think the connection was cut, the last time I took light rail through that section.

Nope, still connected. Used occasionally for broken-down engine and train sets. Maybe some storage. Freight is on F track (next to track 7) but that too is used to store some MARC trains. It's gate A is used for storage, though, and the stairs need repair on both gates.

Someone is reading this thread. Photo just taken from track 4 showing a wooden platform on the low-side tracks at Baltimore Penn Station.

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