UPDATE: The latest information on this story can be found here.

While I was getting ready for work this morning, I noticed an email from MTA that MARC Penn Line trains were experiencing delays.

The message, sent at 6:04 a.m. said:

Penn Line: Due to police activity near  Bowie station and New Carrollton trains in both direction may take a delay of 10 to 15 minutes.

I took my usual train, the 513 (which expresses from BWI to DC) and noticed things were going a lot slower than usual for parts of the trip prior to that area. Things got really slow as we got near Bowie including a couple of very brief stops. After we passed the Seabrook MARC station (prior to New Carrollton Amtrak/MARC),  I noticed an Amtrak Police SUV and a track worker holding up the sign that signals track work is ahead. Just past that was another track worker (maybe two) and two Amtrak Police Officers. One of the police officers was standing next to a signal box that was opened and he appeared to be on his radio or cell phone.

This was around 8 a.m. which puts it right in line with the 15-20 minute delay period from the original email two hours earlier. There were no announcements made on board the 513 as to the reasons for the delays and brief stoppages but I got to work and thought little of it.

After we tweeted about the delays on @insidecharmcity, we heard from @zizzybaloobah that the crew on his train reported signal problems were behind the delay and made no mention of police activity.  We heard from @mkircher that he heard this as well.

We, and other people tweeting, heard back from @MTAmaryland that they were looking into the various communications issues on board and by email (no emails after the initial 6:04 one were sent out until one that said the 410 northbound was delayed with no reason given – the reason was the 513 arrived in DC late.)

We made an inquiry of the MTA via Twitter asking why some people were told signal problems while the email said it was police activity and got the following response:

Dr. Gridlock reported the delays, but made no mention of the cause other than police activity. There has been nothing else reported all day today by Michael Dresser,  DCist, TBD, Greater Greater Washington, or any other outlet I could find.

What have you heard about this incident? Leave any notes, tips or questions in the comments below or send an email to mail@insidecharmcity.com.

UPDATE: Michael Dresser (original report) has blogged on this topic as well with an update that just moved.

Dresser reports that an Amtrak spokeswoman wouldn’t rule out sabotage but also wouldn’t confirm. His report indicates that police are still investigating what caused a copper wire to fall and set off a signal warning. The Amtrak spokeswoman claimed that only two Amtrak trains experienced delays and she couldn’t speak for MARC delays. However, based on what I saw this morning, there were still MARC delays 2 hours after the initial email was sent by MTA at 6:04.

UPDATE: The latest information on this story can be found here.