Maryland Releases Plan for MARC Growth and Transformation
Commuter Line Aims to Become ‘Train for Everyday Life’
The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) June 25 released a growth and transformation plan for MARC Rail that will guide its transition from a commuter line to a regional railroad over the next 25 years.
The plan is a long-range blueprint for proposed service expansions, infrastructure improvements, and regional partnerships to modernize the rail system. It aims to align the railroad’s service with changing travel patterns and market demands while maintaining safety and reliability.
“This plan serves as a roadmap for how MTA can advance MARC into the future and elevate the commuter rail system into a train for everyday life,” Maryland Secretary of Transportation Paul J. Wiedefeld said in a news release. Because of increased revenue from the state “MTA (Maryland Transit Administration) has funding to move MARC trains forward on the track towards growth.” The Maryland Transit Administration is a division of MDOT.
Passengers will benefit from more train service during peak hours coupled with longer peak hour periods. In addition, midday, late night, and weekend service will be introduced on route that currently provide service only during weekday peak travel times. During peak hours, some trains will make limited stops enabling them to reach their destinations quicker and be more time competitive with driving.
MARC’s Camden station is next door to Oriole Park at Camden Yards but without weekend and late night service passengers can’t get to the game by train.
Riders will also be able to take MARC across state lines to destinations such as Wilmington, DE, and Alexandria, VA. The plan also includes future service to Cumberland, MD, 146 miles west of Washington Union Station.
Service expansion will make the railroad accessible to travel markets besides its commuter base such as leisure and entertainment, shopping, higher education, and healthcare. MARC’s Camden station is next door to Oriole Park at Camden Yards but without weekend and late night service passengers can’t get to the game by train.
MARC Rail operates three routes that terminate at Washington Union Station: the Penn Line from Penn Station Baltimore and Perryville; the Camden Line from Camden Station, Baltimore, and the Brunswick Line from Brunswick, Frederick, and Martinsburg, WV. It operates 400 directional miles and serves 42 stations.
In 2024 the railroad carried 4,187,000 passengers, approximately 15,000 per weekday. This is way below the pre-COVID level of approximately 40,000 weekday riders. Since January, however, its passenger counts have surged with a 58 percent increase overall: 52 percent on the Penn Line, 66 percent on the Camden Line, and 85 percent on the Brunswick Line. Despite this sharp increase in passengers ridership has not yet reached the 2019 level.
MARC currently offers peak, off-peak and weekend service (Washington – Baltimore only) on the Penn Line. However the Camden Line and Brunswick line only have service during peak hours. This is due partly to host railroad CSX wanting to keep midday and late night windows clear for its freight trains. But it limits MARC’s usefulness for non-commuter travel. You can’t ride MARC to spend a day in historic Harpers Ferry, WV, or get to a job near L’Enfant Plaza in southwest Washington or Crystal City in Arlington, VA.
MARC’s service expansion plans would need the blessing of the relevant host railroad. However, both CSX and Amtrak plan to increase service levels over the coming decade. After CSX raises vertical clearance in the Howard Street Tunnel under downtown Baltimore it plans to begin running double stack container trains over that route.
Amtrak has several projects underway to increase capacity as well as reliability. They include:
Renovation and expansion of Washington Union Station and Penn Station Baltimore.
Replacement of the 152-year old Baltimore & Potomac Tunnel with the Frederick Douglass Tunnel, which alleviate bottlenecks and allow trains to go faster.
New bridges over the Susquehanna, Bush, and Gunpowder Rivers.
When they are finished Amtrak plans to offer twice hourly Acela service and four Northeast Direct or long-distance trains an hour in each direction.
MTA’s plan for MARC calls for projects and service upgrades to be conducted in five-year, 15-year, and “unconstrained” i.e., long-term phases. The phased approach is recommended to give the MTA more flexibility in getting funding.
Here are the changes planned for each phase:
Five-Year Phase
Twice hourly service will be offered during peak hours on the Penn Line, between Martin State Airport and Washington Union; on the Camden Line, and on the Brunswick Line, between Germantown and Washington. Trains will run hourly during peak periods to Perryville on the Penn Line and Brunswick and Frederick on the Brunswick Line.
A limited number of Brunswick Line and Camden Line runs will be combined to provide one-seat service between Frederick and Camden Station, Baltimore. The three Brunswick Line trains that currently run to Martinsburg, WV, will continue. MARC will also launch bus service between Hagerstown and Monocacy station three times a day.
Hourly off peak service will operate between Perryville and Washington on the Penn Line. with 30 minute local service at Martin State Airport and Penn Station Baltimore. MARC will introduce off-peak and weekend bus service between Camden Station Baltimore and College Park, where riders can transfer to WMATA’s Green Line and Purple Line. Two new off peak trains will run over the Brunswick Line between Washington and Frederick.
On weekends, the Penn Line will have hourly service between Washington and Baltimore with four trains on Saturdays and three on Sundays continuing to Perryville. No weekend service will be available on the Brunswick Line.
15-Year Phase
During this period MARC will focus on building the Penn – Camden Connector and extending runs to Alexandria, VA, and Wilmington, DE. The Connector will enable trains to diverge off the Northeast Corridor to reach Camden Station.
MARC plans to offer hourly service via the Penn Line between Camden Station and Washington, with peak hour service continuing to Alexandria, VA. During off peak and weekends trains to Alexandria would run to and from Penn Station Baltimore. Two peak hour Brunswick Line trains would be extended to Alexandria, as well.
In addition, two Penn Line peak hour trains would originate and terminate in Wilmington, DE. On weekends trains would run to Wilmington every two hours. Also weekend service will be introduced on the Brunswick Line with trains every two hours between Washington and Frederick.
Service on the Penn Line between Martin State Airport and Washington would increase to three trains per hour during peak hours and twice an hour during off peak and weekends. Hourly service would be provided to Perryville.
Long-Range (Unconstrained)
The next wave of improvements would see peak hour service to and from Wilmington every two hours. During off-peak hours and weekends, three trains per hour would run between Martin State Airport and Washington with one train per hour continuing to Perryville. Alternating Perryville trains would continue to Wilmington. One Penn Line train per hour would serve Camden Station.
Hourly service would be provided during peak hours in both directions on the Brunswick – Washington and Frederick – Washington runs. West Virginia service would be restructured to provide one Martinsburg – Washington round trip during peak hours. Two additional trains would serve Martinsburg on their way to and from Cumberland. These trains would operate during off-peak hours.
The Growth and Transformation Plan has a $13.7 billion price tag. However, $7.1 billion of that amount are for baseline investments needed to provide safe and efficient service. Of the remaining $6.6 billion only $409 million is earmarked for the five-year phase. While most of the proposal has not been funded the plan position’s the agency to pursue future investment when funds become available.
Like most U.S. commuter and regional railroads, MARC’s ridership has yet to recover from pandemic-related losses. With fewer people commuting to the nation’s capital it needs to tap alternative markets to remain relevant. More service during off peak hours and weekends, through running, and route extensions across state lines should boost its numbers while it continues to focus on safe and reliable operations.