Too Good To Be True

Taking the Metro today was an absolute breeze.  That should have been my first clue that something was wrong.  There were no crowds and no waits as I made my way to Union Station after work.  After selecting my seat on the MARC 5:20 train, however, the trouble began.  The gentleman next to me said he came over from the 4:20 train because it had lost power and never left the station.  That's when the announcements started.  First, the usual 5:20 "express" train was going to make all local stops to accommodate the extra passengers from the earlier train.  Also, there was standing room only of hot, frustrated passengers.  Then, signal issues occurred causing the train to leave about 30 minutes late.  Then, the near-100 degree temperatures after we got going meant the train travelled at a snail's pace.  The end result, I arrived home nearly an hour later than I expected.  It is now no longer news about the mishaps and breakdowns on MARC and Metro just the usual course of doing business.  Interestingly, though, I've not noticed any conductors asking for tickets the past few days.  Which makes me wonder, how is MARC going to pay for repairs if it's not charging its passengers.  By the way, MARC, this small token of customer service doesn't benefit those of us with a monthly pass.