06/22/2010 // West Palm Beach, FL, USA // Tara Monks // Tara Monks
Washington, DC – Two people were taken to hospitals after a MARC train that was en route from DC to Perryville, Maryland shut down for approximately two hours on Monday, June 21, 2010, as reported by The Baltimore Sun.
According to Maryland Transit Administration spokesman Terry Owens, at approximately 6:13 p.m., the train “basically shut down.” The train reportedly stopped right outside of New Carrolton, leaving passengers stranded as officials worked on the problem.
Owens said, “We don’t know why it shut down…We assume it’s weather related, but we don’t know.”
Even though train officials handed out water during the hold up, Prince George’s County Fire and EMS crews were still needed to treat people for heat-related issues and transport two to nearby hospitals.
MTA Administrator Ralign Wells released a statement promising to investigate what led to the shut down. He said, “I can guarantee you that a full review of all operations, communications and technical issues will begin immediately to identify the cause of this evening’s problem and improve the response of both Amtrak and MARC in the future.”
A passenger on the train reported that the air conditioning system went off when the train stopped, which prompted law enforcement officials to enter the train to open widows. The passenger also reported that the air came back on two hours later, but the train did not move.
A second train was sent to pick up most passengers to get them to Baltimore. Some passengers had to travel back to Washington before they could continue to Baltimore though.
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