Digest: MARC commuter trains to resume full schedule in August

After nine months of reduced service, full MARC schedule to resume Aug. 30

MARC commuter trains will resume full operations on Aug. 30, nine months after reducing service in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Baltimore Sun reports that Maryland Transit Adminstration officials announced the restoration of MARC and commuter bus service on Monday, while Gov. Larry Hogan announced he would use federal coronavirus relief funding to delay planned fare increases for light rail, Metro subway, local buses and paratransit, which had been scheduled to increase on Sunday. Those increases will now come in June 2022. MARC and commuter bus passengers will still pay the higher fares.

Connecticut plan would cut 25 minutes off New Haven-NYC commute; 10-minute savings could come next year

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced an $8 billion to $10 billion plan to shave 25 minutes off Metro-North transit times between New Haven and New York City on Monday — although they have no definitive plan on how to pay for the project. In the meantime, the Connecticut Post reports, state Department of Transportation Commissioner says passengers will see a 10-minute time saving next year, through repairs, signal improvements, and new express trains. The bigger plan, called Time for CT, assumes most of the funding will come from the federal government, and would bring the 25-minute decrease in travel times by 2035. Lamont, a Democrat, said the detailed improvement plan would include such projects as rail and tie replacement, bridge replacements, and other infrastructure work.

CP, CN continue to tout STB support for opposing positions on CN-KCS merger

Canadian National and Canadian Pacific continue to promote the number of letters of support received for their opposing positions on the CN-Kansas City Southern merger. On Monday, CP issued a press release reporting 80 more companies or organizations had filed statements with the Surface Transportation Board opposing CN’s request for a voting trust during the CN-KCS merger process, bringing the total statements of opposition to more than 330. CP also says more than 1,050 letters of support have been filed for its merger with KCS, for which Canadian Pacific continues to pursue regulatory support despite KCS choosing CN’s merger offer over CP’s. This came after a CN and KCS press release late last week that said another 100 letters had been filed in support of their merger, with 90 of those specifically in support of the voting trust proposal. The STB has previously set a June 28 deadline for comments [see “STB seeks more detail on CN-KCS merger …,” Trains News Wire, June 8, 2021].