MARC heat restrictions? Yes, really.
UPDATED:
If you received a MARC commuter train alert about heat restrictions on the Brunswick Line Thursday, it's legit.
According to Maryland Transit Administration spokeswoman Cheron Victoria Wicker, this may be the earliest the restrictions have ever been implemented.
"They happen whenever there is a change overnight of 35 degrees or more," she said.
The steel rails can expand and contract because of the change in temperature.
The restriction typically mean that trains will travel 20 mph below their normal speed.
By
Michael Bolden
|
April 1, 2010; 1:17 PM ET
Categories:
Advisories
,
Commuting
,
transit
| Tags: MARC, MARC trains
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Posted by: pikamander007 | April 1, 2010 3:18 PM | Report abuse
The restrictions are effective when the temp reaches 90. How do they justify restrictions if it's less than 80 - in fact, it's still in the 70s. MARC is out of control. What next? Limited services due to a rabbit on the tracks?
Posted by: CubsFan | April 1, 2010 4:16 PM | Report abuse
It's ironic that owners of rail rights-of-way have not yet mastered metallurgy.
Posted by: Wallenstein | April 1, 2010 5:23 PM | Report abuse
Mastered?
It is all a matter of physics. We got to follow the rules.
Posted by: gary4books | April 1, 2010 6:07 PM | Report abuse
must be an april fool's joke.
Posted by: one4all | April 1, 2010 7:40 PM | Report abuse
If this is "for real," why does it apply only to the Brunswick line? Different steel used in tracks? Cooler weather generally in higher elevations along that line, so that 90 degrees will cause a much higher expansion rate than on the other lines?
There must be a reason that can be explained in more detail than it has. More detail will help Marc develop and keep some credibility.
Posted by: dorofacol | April 2, 2010 6:01 AM | Report abuse
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I was wondering about this. I got the email this morning, and wondered if the MTA was playing some kind of joke.