Just minutes away from its arrival
in Washington Union Station, a MARC Camden Line train, led by GP40WH-2 52, is about to
cross from CSX tracks to Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, seen in the foreground, on
August 5, 1996.
Alex Mayes
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Passenger service on the 200-mile MARC system is distinguished
by the need to serve commuters working in two different metropolitan areas.
Rush-hour trains operate both ways on two separate routes between Baltimore and
Washington: Amtrak's electrified Northeast Corridor via New Carrollton (the Penn Line),
and CSX's Capital Subdivision via Jessup and College Park (the Camden Line — the
oldest rail passenger route in the U.S., first operated by Baltimore & Ohio in 1830).
A third line, the Brunswick Line, provides commuter service on CSX's Cumberland and
Metropolitan Subdivisions between Martinsburg, W.Va., and Washington, D.C., with limited
service from Frederick, Md., on a branch off of CSX's Old Main Line.
In 1975, the Maryland Department of Transportation began subsidizing Washington, D.C.
commuter trains operated by CSX predecessor Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, and in 1976,
began funding Baltimore-Washington commuter trains on the Northeast Corridor operated by
Conrail. Amtrak took over the Northeast Corridor service in 1983 when federal law relieved
Conrail of operating the trains.
Maryland established a State Railroad Administration in 1976 to oversee the commuter rail
subsidies using state and federal funds, purchase new commuter rail equipment, and
subsidize state short lines. In 1981, the state legislature voted to continue financing
the commuter rail services as long as passenger fares paid for 50 percent of the trains’
revenue. In response, Maryland DOT upgraded service on the B&O routes with refurbished
locomotives and cars.
A 1984 marketing study resulted in the branding of the state-supported commuter rail
services under the name MARC (Maryland Area Rail Commuter). In 1986, the agency purchased
new locomotives and rolling stock for the Northeast Corridor trains. The State Railroad
Administration became part of the Mass Transit Administration in 1992.
Today, MARC is the commuter rail arm of the Mass Transit Administration (itself part of
the Maryland Department of Transportation), which manages public transportation in the
Baltimore area, and provides financial and operating assistance to smaller local transit
agencies throughout the state.
MARC trains are operated under contract by Amtrak and CSX Transportation. Over 22,000 rail
passengers a day ride MARC, with a total of 5.5 million trips recorded in 2000.
MARC trains operate into two Baltimore stations: Penn Line trains call at Amtrak's
Pennsylvania Station, while Camden Line trains serve Camden Station.
MARC operates the fastest commuter trains in North America, using electric locomotives
that race along the Penn Line at speeds of up to 125 miles per hour — the maximum
allowable track speed on the Northeast Corridor. Motive power is provided by AEM7's built
in 1986 by EMD/ASEA, and HHP-8's built in 2001-2002 by Bombardier-Alstom.
Camden and Brunswick Line trains use GP40WH-2 and GP39H-2 diesel locomotives, rebuilt from
GP40s by Morrison-Knudsen and MK successor Boise Locomotive. (The diesels can show up on
Penn Line trains as well.)
MARC’s electric motors are maintained by Amtrak at its Ivy City engine terminal in
Washington. CSX services and repairs MARC’s diesel fleet at the Riverside Shop in
Baltimore.
In 2000-2001, MARC received 50 new bilevel passenger cars from Kawasaki Rail Car, Inc.,
supplementing a fleet of single-level cars built by Nippon Sharyo. (The last remaining
Heritage cars - former N&W and PRR 10&6 sleeping cars converted into coaches by
Pennsylvania Railroad in 1964 - were retired in 2001, along with parlor cars that had been
used on select Brunswick Line trains.)
MARC entered into a cross-honor agreement with Virginia Railway Express that allows
ticketed MARC passengers to travel free on reverse-flow VRE trains — trains that
leave Washington Union Station before noon and arrive in Washington after noon. Passengers
can also connect to Amtrak and the Washington Metro Red Line at Union Station.
At Baltimore Penn Station, MARC passengers can connect to Amtrak and the Penn Station
extension of the MTA Central Light Rail system, which links downtown Baltimore and BWI
Airport. Penn Line trains also serve BWI Airport at a joint Amtrak/MARC station facility.
On December 17, 2001, MARC began service on a 13.5-mile extension of its Brunswick Line to
Frederick, Md., the state's second largest city. The $56 million project, begin in 1996,
encompassed the rebuilding of CSX's 3-mile Frederick Industrial Track, a connection at
Point of Rocks, Md., between CSX's Old Main Line and Metropolitan Sub, and two new
stations.
MARC may be the only U.S. railroad with its own television show. "In Touch With the
MTA," a 30-minute talk show sponsored by the Mass Transit Administration, airs weekly
on cable stations in the Baltimore metro area. Launched in 1999, the show provides
information and looks at issues affecting mass transit throughout the state.
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