Headed out this morning to get the 5:10 MARC train at Martin State Airport and when I got there the platform was looking pretty empty. Got out and found out that train had been “cancelled” according to the people still there trying to scramble for a ride. Got back into the car to come back home and got an email informing me that the train was cancelled north of Penn Station and would originate there at 5:32. The time on my blackberry when that came across was 5:03 – it was timestamped as being sent at 5:00. No reason was given.

I’m thinking they probably knew it was cancelled before 5:00 a.m. since they had already announced it on the P.A. at the station apparently yet people who rely on their email system for delays are given 30 minutes to figure out it was cancelled, figure out their best route to Penn Station, find parking at Penn Station and then get inside and make the train.

On the ride home I tried to access the MARC website via Blackberry (which sucks since they don’t have a mobile site) and found there were no delays (it has since been changed to minor disruptions and the reason now given for the cancellation was signal and catenary problems.) I can see signal problems as a reason, but unless they were changing things up to put an electric engine on that train this morning, I’m not sure how the catenary problems are germane to the issue.

Since I get dropped off, the situation to make it to BWI or Penn Station or even trying to change lines to the Camden line and leave from Dorsey are not going to get me to work on time so it will just be off to Greenbelt and the DC Metro for me.

This is a good a time as any to point out a blog chronicling how inefficient and poorly run the MARC system is. That blog can be found here.

Related:
MTA Incompetence or Apathy?

WBAL TV

Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE) said Tuesday that its residential customers can anticipate a $110 average increase this winter from last winter in the gas portion of their bill.

Assuming what the company called a “normal” winter, the BGE average residential customer can expect to pay approximately $792 during the heating season, compared to $682 for the same period a year ago. This is primarily due to the increase in market price for natural gas, company officials said.

The time frame in question is from Nov. 1 to March 31, 2009.

I wrote early this morning on my tumblr blog about what I observed at Union Station prior to 6:30 a.m. today

WBAL and the AP have more information:

Rail passengers from Virginia to Vermont were greeted by a heavy police presence Tuesday morning, as Amtrak, the Transportation Security Administration and local agencies teamed up for a joint show of force.

Officials say the rush-hour deployment along the Northeast Corridor was meant to demonstrate ongoing collaboration and to give local officials a chance to familiarize themselves with the stations.

The railroad and the TSA say officers from about 100 commuter rail, state, and local police agencies took part in the operation, which included random passenger bag inspections.

The exercise was not announced beforehand. Amtrak and the TSA say similar exercises will be held in the future around the country.

Examiner

Election boards statewide are using new strategies as they expect voter turnout to exceed 80 percent in the November election when ballots will be cast for a new president and slots.

Many polling stations, including those in Baltimore City and Howard County, will have greeters distributing specimen ballots to voters so they can review them as they stand in line before they vote, according to the Maryland Association of Election Officials.

[...]

Typically, sample ballots only would be mailed out, but several officials said they want people to be as informed as possible and don’t want to risk residents not opening them.

These specimen ballots will be especially useful to Baltimore City voters, who have 18 questions to answer, the most in Maryland, said Armstead B.C. Jones Sr., election director for Baltimore City’s Board of Elections.

To accommodate the city’s anticipated high voter turnout of around 75 percent, the board is seeking 2,500 to 2,600 election judges, but is pushing for close to 3,000, he said.

“One of the main things I’m concerned about in Baltimore City are the long lines,” he said. “These greeting election judges will also help pre-check people in so they know they’re in the right place.”

So far, the city is about halfway through election-judge training with about 1,200 people.

[...]

Howard also increased its number of election judges to 1,133, up from 15 during the previous election.

“We’ve fully recruited all our judges, but we always need alternatives because of cancellations,” Nordaas said.
Howard has typically seen about an 80 percent to 82 percent turnout during presidential election years, but this year’s numbers are expected to be higher, she said.

Anne Arundel is expecting an 85 percent voter turnout, which would be about 8 percent higher than the 2004 November election.
“This election, we’ll probably have a lot of voters who haven’t voted in a while,” said Joe Torre, election director for the Anne Arundel County Board of Elections.

Unlike Howard and Baltimore City, Anne Arundel will post a specimen ballot on the wall, so voters aren’t confused, he said.
Local boards also are working with the state Board of Elections to acquire more voting machines and electronic poll books.

Baltimore Sun

A 15-year-old Northwest Baltimore boy has been arrested and charged as an adult with attempted murder in the Sept. 16 shooting of a 9-year-old girl near her East Baltimore home. Michael Baynor of the 3200 block of Gwynns Falls Parkway was arrested Wednesday and charged with trespassing at Perkins Homes, police said in District Court charging documents. During an interview with Southeastern District police, Baynor was advised of his rights and later gave police a statement concerning the shooting the previous day in the 200 block of S. Caroline St., according to the charging documents. Police said the girl was with friends and was leaning against a car when she was struck in the left leg by a large-caliber bullet fired by one of two men aiming at a third man. The girl ran home and was taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital, where she was treated and released. Police said that other arrests were pending. Police said Baynor, who was also charged with multiple related offenses, was being held at Central Booking and Intake Center.