Light Rail Service to Penn Station Resumes After Nearly Three Years

The Baltimore Light Rail has resumed service to Penn Station, marking the end of a nearly three-year suspension, according to the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA).

This north-south rail line, which connects Hunt Valley in Baltimore County to BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport and Glen Burnie in Anne Arundel County, includes a spur that allows northbound trains to divert to Penn Station after departing from the Mount Royal/MICA station. However, this service was halted in fall 2022 due to ongoing track and platform renovations at the station, which is managed by Amtrak.

Penn Station serves as the only direct connection point for various train lines in Baltimore, which has faced criticism for its lack of seamless integration. In the absence of light rail service, passengers were required to disembark at Mount Royal and walk approximately a quarter mile to reach the station.

While not all northbound trains will divert to Penn Station, those that do will be clearly marked for passengers. Service to the station resumed on Sunday, with 39 weekday trips now scheduled to stop there.

This announcement follows a series of challenges for the light rail service, including a two-week shutdown in late 2023 due to complications with the rehabilitation of its fleet of 53 vehicles. Safety concerns arose during the restoration process, which had been overdue when private rail company Alstom began the reconstruction. Currently, about 30 of the 52 light rail cars are operational on any given day.

Ridership has gradually increased since the pandemic-induced decline, particularly during high-demand events, such as Orioles home games, as more train cars return to service.

In a significant development, the MTA received a $213 million federal grant last year to support the purchase of a new fleet of light rail trains as part of a broader modernization initiative. Upgrades will include retrofitting stations and replacing tracks in the Howard Street corridor, although the new trains are not expected to be in service until 2031.

Reported by HarborBeat based on thebanner.com (source).