Repairs at storm-damaged Anne Arundel light rail station may take days, officials say

Days after severe storms sent power poles crashing onto the wires of the Cromwell Light Rail Station in Glen Burnie, utility crews continued work Tuesday to untangle the mess and reopen the station.

Storms that moved into the region on Saturday night snapped roughly two dozen Baltimore Gas and Electric poles that typically stand 65 to 100 feet. This caused them to become entangled with light rail wires at the station, creating a maze over the train tracks and shutting down the station.

The Maryland Transit Administration, which had suspended light rail service south of the Patapsco station, said Tuesday that trains were now able to travel as far south as the North Linthicum Station.

Buses continued to shuttle passengers south from North Linthicum to BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport and to the corner of 8th Avenue and Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard in Glen Burnie, the agency said Tuesday.

The Cromwell station is the terminus of the southern line, just past the airport stop. The suspension is expected to last until Friday evening, the agency said in a Tuesday alert.

After record-breaking heat toasted the Baltimore region Saturday, heavy rains flooded roadways that evening, leaving motorists stranded, as 70 mph wind gusts downed trees and power lines, damaging homes and leaving roughly 70,000 people in the dark.

The high winds caused about 25 electric poles near the Cromwell Light Rail Station to break or sustain damage, prohibiting travel along Interstate 97 and Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard and leaving 130 BGE customers without service Saturday, utility spokesperson Lydia Parker said in an email.

Parker said only 12 of those customers remained without power Tuesday, but they were to receive temporary restoration from a generator soon. The highway and the boulevard reopened Sunday morning, according to Parker. There’s much more work to be done, though.

“BGE crews are working to support the restoration and repair process as safely and as quickly as possible,” Parker said. “We are navigating several issues including access, vegetation, and extent of damage. This will take several days to repair.”

Only when that work is done can MTA crews inspect and begin repairing damage to the catenary lines that power the light rail trains, spokesperson Paul Shepard said in an email Tuesday.

“The poles place significant weight on the catenary wires,” Shepard said. “Once BGE replaces the poles and restores power, MTA crews will begin repairing the down catenary wires.”

Until then, the Cromwell Light Rail Station remains closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic.

Shepard said 1,337 people on average ride the train at the Cromwell Light Rail station on weekdays.