A MARC train on the Brunswick Line at Dickerson Station
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A MARC train with bi-levels on the Penn Line at BWI
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Overview | |||
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Owner | Maryland Transit Administration | ||
Locale | Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area | ||
Transit type | Regional/ commuter rail | ||
Number of lines | 3 | ||
Number of stations | 42 | ||
Daily ridership | 40,100 (Q2 2016) | ||
Annual ridership | 9,149,900 (2015) | ||
Chief executive | Erich Kolig | ||
Website | MARC Train official page | ||
Operation | |||
Began operation | 1984 | ||
Operator(s) |
Bombardier Transportation (Camden and Brunswick) Amtrak (Penn) (under contract to the Maryland Transit Administration) |
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Reporting marks | MARC | ||
Host railroads |
Amtrak CSX Transportation |
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Technical | |||
System length | 187 mi (301 km) | ||
Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge | ||
Electrification | 25Hz AC on the Penn Line | ||
Top speed | 125 mph (201 km/h) | ||
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MARC operates the Brunswick Line (orange), Camden Line (green), and Penn Line (purple).
MARC (Maryland Area Regional Commuter) Train Service (reporting mark MARC), known prior to 1984 as Maryland Rail Commuter, 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 (MDOT) agency, and is operated under contract by Bombardier Transportation Services USA Corporation (BTS) and Amtrak over tracks owned by CSX Transportation (CSXT) and Amtrak.
With some equipment capable of reaching speeds of 125 miles per hour (201 km/h), MARC is purported to be the fastest commuter railroad in the United States.
MARC operates 93 trains on a typical weekday over three separate lines of service: the Brunswick Line (18 trains/19 trains on Fridays), the Camden Line (21 trains), and the Penn Line (57 trains). MARC added limited weekend service on the Penn Line on December 7, 2013. Service is suspended or reduced on selected Federal holidays.
The Brunswick Line runs about 74 miles (119 km) from Washington, D.C., to Martinsburg, West Virginia, over the CSXT Metropolitan and Cumberland Subdivisions (both former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) lines), and the Amtrak Washington Terminal District. The Brunswick Line service also includes a 14 miles (23 km) branch serving Frederick, which diverges from the Metropolitan Subdivision at East Rocks (just east of Point of Rocks) before traveling over the CSXT Old Main Line and the MDOT Frederick Branch.