Maryland’s MARC plan promises better rail service (2024)

When Maryland’s MARC train began operating in 1984, commuter lines served only those with traditional 9 to 5 work hours. Today commuting patterns have changed dramatically, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic, but MARC remains dedicated mostly to this task: of the three lines, only the Penn Line has all-day and weekend service.

The rail agency has a plan to change that, but its future is undecided.

MARC’s 2019 cornerstone plan — its strategic priorities, policies, and initiatives — followed up on a largely unfulfilled 2007 growth and investment plan, which included all-day and weekend service for all three MARC lines and railcar and station upgrades. The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) is now seeking input as it refreshes its strategy and vision.

The MARC system provides critical connections for Maryland, serving nine counties and the state’s most popular corridors, as well as “the two largest cities in the region, Baltimore and Washington, DC,” said Brian O’Malley, president and CEO of the nonprofit advocacy group Central Maryland Transportation Alliance. “Commuting patterns have changed, so the MARC system needs to understand the demand and adjust its schedules.”

Switching from driving to transit is also vital to address climate change and other environmental issues, and to mitigate an unending cycle of traffic congestion and road expansion. Without MARC, congestion misery would be even worse. O’Malley cited one estimate that at rush hour, about 18% of rush-hour traffic to and from Baltimore to DC is on MARC trains. “Imagine if those people were instead in cars,” O’Malley said.

Better service on the Brunswick line is “very important for reducing congestion on 270 as discussions of widening 270 and toll roads continue,” said Amy Frieder, president of the Action Committee for Transit (ACT), a Montgomery County advocacy group.

MARC links the region, but could be better

After the Penn Line from Baltimore to DC’s Union Station, by far the busiest of the three lines, began all-day and weekend service in 2013, ridership rose 5% as of 2019, according to the 2019 cornerstone plan. Telework and hybrid schedules, along with growing environmental and equity concerns, further increase the need for more flexible transit options and expanded service on the Brunswick and Camden lines.

“The Brunswick line assumes a kind of cookie-cutter, suburban environment that is not our reality,” said Frieder. “There’s a lot of reverse commuting.”

If fully implemented, the cornerstone plan would address those needs. The recent announcement that the FBI headquarters will be in Greenbelt provides yet another reason to expand MARC service. With 11,000 jobs coming within a quarter mile of the Camden Line, “it’s a great opportunity to connect people from Howard County and Baltimore County, from Baltimore City, to these jobs,” said O’Malley.

A recent Greater Greater Washington opinion piece called, instead, for a Metrorail Green Line extension to Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI). However, the MARC train has the advantage that it is already operating not just to BWI but to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, although it would need to relocate and improve stations with access to the new FBI headquarters.

Frieder sees improved MARC service as low-hanging fruit, and as “much better, easier, and more affordable” than creating entirely new systems.

The MARC system is a crucial economic tool, per the cornerstone plan, with over 1.4 million jobs within a 30-minute walk or transit trip of Penn Line stations, and over 1.3 million jobs that same distance from each of the Brunswick and Camden lines. Expanding service would be a boon to tourism, Frieder said. On the Brunswick line, “Frederick is a booming city now, there’s nightlife, there are breweries,” with historic sights, while Boyds has beautiful lakes near the station and Harpers Ferry is already a tourist destination.

MARC’s cornerstone plan wouldn’t just benefit Maryland: it recommends run-through service to northern Virginia, so that all trips aren’t forced to change over at Union Station. This would connect busy employment centers around the region and alleviate Metrorail congestion.

Improving access

Transit connectivity, density, and walkability are all vital to future MARC success. Almost all trips to the Brunswick and Camden lines are by car, 77% and 86% respectively, according to the cornerstone plan. For the Penn Line, the number is just 36%, while 35% use transit and 24% walk or bike. The moral is clear: The built environment matters.

The cornerstone plan recognizes this, recommending ample transit-oriented development (TOD) around key stations, specifically more density as well as networks of complete streets.

“The current administration is reenergizing MDOT’s TOD efforts,” said O’Malley. Previous TOD efforts during the Martin O’Malley administration were largely based around parking lots that MDOT already owned, he said. Now other tools, such as grants, are needed to encourage TOD in nearby neighborhoods, including private developments.

Connectivity to other transit also matters. While many MARC stations currently connect to Metrorail and buses, future transit projects such as the Purple Line light rail linking Montgomery and Prince George’s counties and a bus rapid transit (BRT) network coming to Montgomery County will provide additional connectivity, making it easier to abandon car dependency.

Still, the plan can be improved. For O’Malley, one area that the cornerstone plan overlooks is the West Baltimore station, which connects to multiple buses and Baltimore’s planned Red Line light rail (or BRT). He suggested the station be redesigned to include an indoor waiting area and restrooms. O’Malley also said that MARC should expand its bicycle capability.

We are at the tail-end of a public comment period on MARC expansion. In the past, such efforts have been limited to evening meetings, and perhaps a web presence that served only a limited slice of the public. However, O’Malley praised MTA for adding a variety of methods to its comment toolbox this time around, including pop-ups and direct contact on trains.

Money makes the world go ‘round

The biggest obstacle to MARC expansion, unsurprisingly, is money. The state government and Montgomery County officials are supportive of expanded service, according to Frieder, but other priorities abound — particularly Metro’s $750 million budget gap.

Even should funding be available, right-of-way along key corridors will be an obstacle, according to the cornerstone plan. CSX owns the tracks on the Camden and Brunswick lines (except for the spur to Frederick) and prioritizes freight rail.

O’Malley pointed to the lack of specificity in the cornerstone plan as a possible obstacle to its completion. While allowing future wiggle room, it also makes it easier to simply put off implementation. “I still point to the 2007 MARC Growth and Investment plan as the best, because it was ambitious and specific” about projects and timetables, said O’Malley. “Trying to be less accountable by being more vague isn’t the solution.”

Indeed, the road to transit paradise is littered with visionary plans that never happen because of funding. O’Malley pointed out that the state highway administration provides $6.6 billion for minor projects over the next six years, and there’s “very little known about how we’re spending those.” By contrast, expenditures are carefully monitored for transit projects.

“We throw money year after year for these minor [highway] projects with very little accountability, but then we get very precious about ‘how will we ever fund the MARC improvements,’” he said.

MARC expansion is exactly the kind of affordable, equitable transit we need, O’Malley said. He contrasts it with the northeast Maglev proposal, which is also seeking public resources, for that corridor, “but is for-profit and is designed to serve the most profitable, very high end of the market.”

“We’ll accomplish far more for equity goals if we invest in the northeast corridor, and the MARC service that provides an affordable connection that many people can use,” O’Malley said.

There’s still time for you to weigh in on MARC’s future — the deadline has been extended! MDOT wants to hear from not only current riders but even more importantly from those who want to ride but the current service doesn’t fit your needs (times, days of week, origins, and destinations). Provide comments on the MARC Growth and Transformation Plan here by December 18, 2023, and learn more here.