Why is it so easy for cars to cross this
 railroad track in Upper Marlboro? 

UPPER MARLBORO --- Due to the lack of effort spent by Maryland's political leaders
on bringing commuter rail to Southern Maryland, as is available in the rest of the state,
this region has congested highways and the only train that travels on this track is a
long coal train that rumbles through from Western Maryland each day to feed the
power plants at Chalk Point on the Patuxent River and Morgantown on the Potomac River.

Driving up from Southern Maryland to make connections in the Washington and Baltimore metro areas, one will cross this empty train track at Waldorf, again at Upper Marlboro and also on Rt. 214 while heading to the Beltway. 

Commuter trains operating on this track could take people to the Amtrak and MARC main line at Bowie and trains could continue onto Baltimore while riders could transfer to Metro shuttles
 to the nearest Metro station or board trains south to Union Station for connection to
the Metro system. 

While the leaders of Maryland plan for another massive highway project as a Waldorf loop bypass, there are no plans yet to spend a lot less money on putting MARC trains on this existing CSX track.   CSX says it needs the state to indemnify them for wrecks and to double track so they can meet their obligations for moving freight.
ST. MARY'S TODAY photo

Those who could bring commuter rail to region, campaigned in 2006 by promising to make it happen.

WALDORF --- In this photo taken on the same railroad line as it weaves through Waldorf, parallel to
Rt. 301, all the way from the Potomac River to Bowie, are Congressman Steny Hoyer, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, Senators Mac Middleton and Roy Dyson, Delegates John Bohanan and Sally Jameson and Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown. 

These Democrats all promised to work to bring commuter rail to this area.  How are they doing? 

How a U. S. Army Air Mail plane crashed in Waldorf along the railroad tracks on the first day of air mail service between New York and Washington in 1918.

A series of articles are coming soon on how they are keeping their promises or
should they simply go stand in front a freight train.
ST. MARY'S TODAY photo



Gov. Martin O'Malley at a press conference in May where new MARC train equipment was put into service, none of which comes to Southern Maryland, yet.