The Spark

the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist

“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx

Maryland:
Commuters Break Out!

Jun 28, 2010

On June 21, Amtrak management ordered its crew to lock up a thousand commuters in a MARC train heading from Washington to Baltimore after the train broke down. Temperatures inside the cars soon soared to more than 100 degrees. There was no drinking water available and toilets were soon overflowing.

Passengers removed train windows to get air and made 911 calls on their cell phones to summon paramedics. An hour later, some passengers climbed out windows or broke through doors–to discover they were only 200 yards from a Metro station!

The state pays Amtrak 40 million dollars a year–for what?

Apparently, engine maintenance was not included in the deal!