MARC Train is the commuter rail system serving the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area in the United States. The system is owned by the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA Maryland), and serves Maryland, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. The system covers a total route length of along three rail lines. In the 2019 fiscal year, MARC Train service had average weekday ridership of 36,375 passengers.
State-supported commuter rail operations in Maryland began in 1974 when the Maryland Department of Transportation (Maryland DOT) funded train services from Washington, D.C. along the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, later owned by CSX Transportation. The following year, in 1975, Maryland DOT began funding operations on the Conrail-owned Northeast Corridor, whose ownership was transferred to Amtrak in 1983. Following a marketing study in 1984, the Maryland-funded commuter rail service was branded as MARC (Maryland Area Rail Commuter).
Current MARC Train service includes the Penn Line (operated on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor), the Camden Line (operated on CSX's Capital Subdivision), and the Brunswick Line (operated on CSX's Cumberland, Metropolitan, and Old Main Line Subdivisions, with limited service along the Frederick Branch). There are 42 MARC Train stations in the commuter rail system; all three lines terminate at Union Station in Washington, D.C, where passengers can connect with Amtrak, Virginia Railway Express, and Washington Metro trains. Development of a new MARC station at the former Amtrak station in Elkton, Maryland began in 2014, with plans to open by 2040.
Lines + MARC Train lines Line Inbound terminus Outbound terminus Stations Route length Owner Operator Daily ridership(2019) or 19 CSX Bombardier 7,392 12 5,075 13 Amtrak Amtrak 23,908
Stations
All stations located in Maryland, unless otherwise noted.
+ MARC Train stationsStationLineRail connectionsLocation : Northeast Regional Aberdeen Barnesville Bowie Boyds Brunswick : Acela, , , Northeast Regional, , Linthicum Baltimore : , College Park Dickerson Elkridge Duffields, WV Edgewood Frederick Gaithersburg Garrett Park Germantown : , Greenbelt Baltimore : Harpers Ferry, WV Jessup Kensington Laurel Laurel Middle River : Martinsburg, WV Gaithersburg Frederick Beltsville New Carrollton Odenton Baltimore Perryville Point of Rocks Riverdale Rockville Annapolis Junction Lanham Silver Spring Baltimore Washington, D.C. Washington Grove Baltimore
Former stations This list includes stations abandoned since the beginning of public subsidies in the mid 1970s. StationLineClosure dateLocationNotesBerwyn January 31, 1994 Berwyn Closed due to low ridership February 27, 1989 Bowie Replaced by Bowie State station October 1983 Lanham Replaced by New Carrollton station April 27, 1984 West Baltimore Replaced with West Baltimore station July 1996 Elkridge Replaced by Dorsey station April 27, 1984 Baltimore 1980s Hyattsville June 26, 1981 Bowie Bowie State station opened on the same site in 1989 August 1982 Landover Service moved to Amtrak's Capital Beltway station August 1982 Lanham Service moved to Amtrak's Capital Beltway station 2000 Silver Spring Replaced with new MARC platforms at the Silver Spring Metro station
References