MARC Train
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Image:MARC Train Logo.png MARC, prior to 1984 known as Maryland Rail Commuter Service, is a commuter rail system comprising three lines in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. MARC is administered by the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA), a Maryland Department of Transportation agency, and is operated under contract with CSX Transportation and the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak).
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Brunswick Line
Image:Marctrain.jpg The Brunswick Line is MARC's longest line, stretching between Washington, D.C. and Martinsburg, West Virginia. Brunswick Line trains operate over the CSX Metropolitan, Old Main Line, and Cumberland Subdivisions. Stops on the Brunswick Line are as follows:
- Union Station (Washington, D.C.)
- Silver Spring, Maryland
- Kensington, Maryland
- Garrett Park, Maryland
- Rockville, Maryland
- Washington Grove, Maryland
- Gaithersburg, Maryland
- Metropolitan Grove, Maryland
- Germantown, Maryland
- Boyds, Maryland
- Barnesville, Maryland
- Dickerson, Maryland
- Frederick Extension:
- Point of Rocks, Maryland
- Brunswick, Maryland
- Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
- Duffields, West Virginia
- Martinsburg, West Virginia
Camden Line
Image:CollegeParkMARCStation.jpg The Camden Line runs between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland (Camden Station), operating over the CSX Capital Subdivision. Stops on the Camden Line are as follows:
- Union Station (Washington, D.C.)
- Riverdale, Maryland
- College Park, Maryland
- Greenbelt, Maryland
- Muirkirk, Maryland
- Laurel, Maryland
- Laurel Race Track
- Savage, Maryland
- Jessup, Maryland
- Dorsey, Maryland
- St. Denis, Maryland
- Baltimore, Maryland (Camden Station)
Penn Line
The Penn Line runs between Washington, D.C. and Perryville, Maryland on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. Stops on the Penn Line are as follows:
- Union Station (Washington, D.C.)
- New Carrollton, Maryland
- Seabrook, Maryland
- Bowie, Maryland (Bowie State University)
- Odenton, Maryland
- BWI Airport
- Halethorpe, Maryland
- West Baltimore, Maryland
- Baltimore, Maryland (Baltimore Penn Station)
- Martin State Airport
- Edgewood, Maryland
- Aberdeen, Maryland
- Perryville, Maryland
Current Equipment
- Locomotives
- Passenger Cars
- Kawasaki Bi-Level
- Pullman'Gallery' Bi-Level
- Nippon Sharyo/Sumitomo Single Level
- Passenger Cab Cars
- Kawasaki Bi-Level
- Nippon Sharyo/Sumitomo Single Level
As the Penn Line is the only electrified MARC line, the AEM-7 and HHP-8 are restricted to only that line. The majority of the Kawasaki cars are operated on the Penn Line, and the Pullman cars are only operated on Brunswick Line trains to Martinsburg. All MARC trains are operated with a cab car, from which the engineer can control the train. The cab car is always at the head of trains travelling toward Washington D.C., and the locomotive is at the head of trains heading away from Washington.
Connections to other rail and transportation services
Several of MARC's stations are shared with other rail and transit services.
- At Union Station, the Washington terminus of all three MARC lines, passengers can transfer to Amtrak Northeast Corridor trains, Virginia Railway Express commuter trains, or to the Washington Metro Red Line.
- At Rockville and Silver Spring on the Brunswick Line, passengers can transfer to the Washington Metro Red Line.
- At Greenbelt and College Park on the Camden Line, passengers can transfer to the Washington Metro Green Line.
- At New Carrollton on the Penn Line, passengers can transfer to the Washington Metro Orange Line, and to Amtrak Northeast Corridor trains.
- At both Camden and Penn Stations, the Baltimore termini of the Camden and Penn Lines, passengers can transfer to the Baltimore Light Rail; at Penn Station, they can additionally transfer to Amtrak Northeast Corridor trains.
The BWI Rail station is close to Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI), though not actually in the terminal itself; a free shuttle bus carries passengers from the station to the terminal every few minutes.
February 1996 Brunswick Line Crash
On February 16, 1996, during the Friday-evening rush hour, a MARC bound for Union Station collided with an outgoing Amtrak train and erupted in flames on a snow-swept stretch of track in Silver Spring, Maryland. The crash left 11 people dead aboard the MARC train. Three died of injuries suffered in the impact, but the rest were killed by smoke and flames. The MARC engineer and two conductors were among the dead.
Proposed March 2006 Station Closures
In January 2006, four MARC stations were slated to be closed in early March, due to minimal patronage:
- St. Denis (Camden line)
- Jessup (Camden line)
- Dickerson (Brunswick line)
- Boyds (Brunswick line)
While the combined average daily ridership of these stations combined is a mere 41 passengers, a group of Maryland state senators co-authored an emergency bill that would force the stations to remain open. Maryland state transportation secretary Robert Flanagan decided to keep the stations open in anticipation of the bill's passing.
Source: WBALchannel.com: Four MARC Stations Spared