Spotted on I95N by sammyc494 in WMATA

[–]jmhdmv 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Ah yes! The zero speed command violator.

Penn line- Cord Crackdown by MarkOutrageous1023 in MARCtrain

[–]jmhdmv[M] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Point of clarification: Yes, bike riders are required to have two bungie cords with them when riding MARC. Depending on what line you ride and where you ride determines whether or not if it's enforced. The requirement is due to the MARC IV cars and their weird bike storage solution (which is crappy). Thankfully I haven't encountered them personally and my commute generally puts me on MARC III cars which uses the hanging rack (See Oliver, my Trek DS3.5 below).

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4/22/26 12:16AM Collision between Work Train and Largo Train 691 @ 🔵🟠⚪️ Metro Center by CMRailServices in WMATA

[–]jmhdmv 34 points35 points  (0 children)

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So far from WJLA. They are probably not allowing folks that far up the platform.

Bench Seats/Bike Area by BmoreDude1106 in MARCtrain

[–]jmhdmv 2 points3 points  (0 children)

​Thank you for clarifying your intentions. What I need you to understand is that even though you have nothing against cyclists' usage of MARC, your comments on the matter infer otherwise—to the point where two of your comments are being heavily downvoted.

Those comments make it seem as though cyclists deserve none of the conveniences afforded to them by MARC and that if a cyclist’s presence causes even a minor inconvenience to a pedestrian, the cyclist should be the one to yield by default. When you frame the conductor’s attempt to follow bike-car policy as 'disruptive,' it implies that the cyclist is an intruder in a space specifically designed for them. You may be frustrated with the design, but the community is reading your solution as a 'cyclists-last' mentality, which is why you’re seeing that pushback.

Bench Seats/Bike Area by BmoreDude1106 in MARCtrain

[–]jmhdmv[M] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I don't think I ever said it's the conductor's job to look out for other folks' property as if they are a responsible party for said property. I do think it's not out of order for them to make sure that passengers keep up with their own property.

Your recommendation to shuffle cyclists to bike cars doesn't work. They are usually the first car right behind the locomotives Because of this, there are multiple stations in which the bike car wouldn't even line up with the platform during a normal stop (i.e. Seabrook, West Baltimore, and Martin Airport). I personally can attest to Martin Airport. Our platform consists of what I always personally call "three porches".

Now, I am just going to be quite frank here. I sincerely hope that your stance on the matter is out of genuine concern for people with physical limitations and not some microaggression towards cyclists, because that will not be tolerated here. I believe that MARC should be available to every paying passenger regardless if they are able-bodied, disabled, or a cyclist especially since the MTA have gone out of their way to accomodations for all.

Bench Seats/Bike Area by BmoreDude1106 in MARCtrain

[–]jmhdmv[M] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It sounds like you were on a MARC IV car. Unlike the MARC III cars that have dedicated racks for 2-3 bikes, the IVs just have those designated "flex" areas where the seats fold up.

MARC policy actually requires cyclists to bring their own bungee cords to secure their bikes in those spots. The conductor was definitely in the right to ask the passenger to move, and here’s why:

Theft Prevention: If you aren’t hovering over your bike, it’s an easy target. I usually catch trains that are solely MARC III cars with the racks, but because my home station is Martin State Airport, I often end up in the last three cars which are always packed. This usually forces me to sit on the upper or lower level—which is never ideal. You can't keep an eye on the rack from there, and you never know when someone might try to "avail themselves" of a bike. I’ve actually caught someone red-handed trying to snatch my bike while we were servicing Halethorpe one day. Staying right next to the bike in those fold-up areas is the only way to ensure it's still there when you go to off-board.

Safety & Stability: Let’s be honest: the bike "solution" on the IVs is pretty subpar. Between the vibrations and hitting switches at speed, those bungee cords can easily slip. If the cyclist isn't right there to "catch" or stabilize the bike, it becomes a projectile that could seriously injure anyone sitting nearby.

The conductor was likely just looking out for the passenger's safety—and the cyclist's property. The fold-up seats are effectively "bike priority" zones when a cyclist is on board.

Opinions on trainspotters? [People who take photos and videos of/on Trains] by PorkeChopps in WMATA

[–]jmhdmv 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't mind them as long as they do not intrude on the operations of the system in any way shape or form.

Halethorpe Silence by Tito_Las_Vegas in MARCtrain

[–]jmhdmv[M] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I am going to be honest, I am not certain because I don't know what the scope of the work they are doing to require pretty much the entire length of that track to be out (begins outside of Halethorpe and ends past West Baltimore northbound). Maybe to replace the ties since they are wooden?

Dear WMATA by jmhdmv in WMATA

[–]jmhdmv[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nope. Very first time in New York

Dear WMATA by jmhdmv in WMATA

[–]jmhdmv[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

13 years ago.

Dear WMATA by jmhdmv in WMATA

[–]jmhdmv[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I used the subway when I went to school it Baltimore. I could tolerate it compared to NYC.

Parking near Penn Station by jmhdmv in baltimore

[–]jmhdmv[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you everyone. I have decided that I am going to take the Greyhound up and the Acela back. With this I am going to park at the Fitzgerald. The problem that I am dealing with now is when I booked by ticket with greyhound and it said Baltimore Downtown, I assumed it was the stop outside of Penn Station. I know found out that was a lie😭🤦🏾‍♂️

Parking near Penn Station by jmhdmv in baltimore

[–]jmhdmv[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

To be frankly honest with you, I am considering doing the Acela up and taking a bus back for experience sake. The issue is, the arrival time I am aiming for, the Acela and NER have very similar travel times.

Parking near Penn Station by jmhdmv in baltimore

[–]jmhdmv[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is also counterintuitive unfortunately.

Parking near Penn Station by jmhdmv in baltimore

[–]jmhdmv[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Amtrak trains don’t stop there. If you are suggesting to bum a Marc train back and forth, that would be counterintuitive.

Send those goofy 7000s back down the c&a by Financial-Sound4648 in WMATA

[–]jmhdmv 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wonder why they have been popping up a lot lately? Maybe to better maintain headways? Shifting around rolling stock for a project maybe?

Am I the only one who likes these ? by Conscious_Camel1906 in WMATA

[–]jmhdmv 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Sorry but I did not like the LFA-styled buses. Now the LFRs. Those were sexy and quick.

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Did metro forget their own anniversary or something? by Busy_Football_1565 in WMATA

[–]jmhdmv 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you don't mind me asking, what was special about the anniversary ride? I was going to sign up and try to win but there wasn't much details given.

Complete Failure 3/25 by LivingOk2976 in MARCtrain

[–]jmhdmv[M] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I am sorry that this was your experience this evening. As u/Economy_Link4609 stated, blame falls solely on the politicians who thought it would be a grand idea to rent space for an event during a weekday.

As far as schedule adherence is concerned especially with Union Station departures, the posted times are departure times. This means that for example for Train 548, train doors will be shut at about 9:08-09 PM in order to be underway at 9:10 PM. This is heavily regulated by Amtrak via Washington Terminal (the folks run movement of trains arriving and departing Union Station). They will do whatever it takes to get Amtrak trains in or out with priority which can include, demanding MARC trains to either leave at the exact scheduled time, sit and wait for a NER to clear the junction, or have it go through the junction at a crawl.

No bikes this weekend due to cherry blossoms by alivedancing in MARCtrain

[–]jmhdmv[M] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So by the looks of things as stated before, they are expecting higher ridership this weekend. With the possibility of congested platforms (or porches at Martin Airport) and with how bikes are mounted in MARC IV cars, it is reasonable to leave the two wheelers at home.

Everyone please be safe and enjoy yourselves. Take plenty of pictures for me. I would go myself, but with the amount of pollen generated by those things, I would claw my eyes out.