Baltimore light rail enters fourth day of suspended service as repairs continue

BALTIMORE -- Inspections and repairs continue to be made on the entire light rail fleet, as the light rail's suspension entered day four Monday.

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The Maryland Transportation Authority started the emergency suspension Friday because of mechanical issues. The MTA didn't provide any particular updates on the situation Monday, just that the work remains ongoing.

A transportation advocacy organization in Baltimore said moving forward, maintenance and overhaul of aging transportation vehicles should be priority.

Camden Station is acting more like a bus station these days, as it serves as the midpoint for the replacement shuttle service during the suspension.

Several riders telling WJZ it's taking longer to get to their destinations.

"I'm used to getting on light rail and [we just go], now you have to wait for the bus to pull off," said Leo Harris.

Patricia works at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport. She said the shuttles' timing has been hit or miss, so she and other co-workers have been leaving early to ensure they get to work on time.

"We have to leave for work three hours beforehand and still have to make an eight hour, or 12 hour shift, and still having to get back home [after]," she said. "It's really complicated."

The MTA said Thursday night punctured conduits and issues with the cables connecting sections of light rail cars prompted this suspension -- finding the issues to be more systemic than previously thought.

Brian O'Malley is the president and CEO of the non-profit Central Maryland Transportation Alliance. He said the delayed effort to overhaul the light rail fleet likely had a big hand in the situation.

"This is the consequence of putting off maintenance. Anyone who maintains a house or a car knows that it comes back to bite you," O'Malley said. "I think that's partly what's happening here."

Moving forward, O'Malley said maintenance and overhaul should be prioritized moving forward, especially as the transportation budget faces billions in cuts.

"I would urge that we make sure we prioritize the right things in these cuts," he said. "That starts with making sure we take care of the state of good repair needs and the assets we have now."

There are a total of 53 light rail cars. The MTA has said it'll take eight cars to return to start limited service, while it'll take 19 cars for full service to resume.