MARC commuter train conductor catching up with local news on a foggy morning at Point of Rocks.

Maryland Area Regional Commuter, more commonly referred to as MARC (pronounced as a single word), is a commuter rail service operating three lines from Washington, DC to various places in central Maryland and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The three lines, from east to west, are the Brunswick Line, the Camden Line, and the Penn Line. MARC is administered by the Maryland Department of Transportation (as part of the Maryland Transit Administration), and is operated under contract with CSX Transportation and the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, or Amtrak.

Phil Bissett is the current director of the system.

Brunswick Line

The Brunswick Line is MARC's longest line, stretching from Washington, DC to 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, DC)
• 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

The line diverges here, one line going to:

• Point of Rocks, Maryland
• Brunswick, Maryland
• Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
• Duffields, West Virginia
• Martinsburg, West Virginia

And the other to:

• Monocacy, Maryland
• Frederick, Maryland

Camden Line

The Camden Line goes from Washington, DC to Baltimore, Maryland (Camden Station). Brunswick line trains operate over the CSX Capital Subdivision. Stops on the Camden Line are as follows:

• Union Station (Washington, DC)
• 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 goes from Washington, DC to Perryville, Maryland via Baltimore, Maryland (Penn Station). Penn line trains operate over the Amtrak Northeast Corridor. Stops on the Penn Line are as follows:

• Union Station (Washington, DC)
• New Carrollton, Maryland
• Seabrook, Maryland
• Bowie, Maryland (Bowie State University)
• Odenton, Maryland
• BWI Rail
• Halethorpe, Maryland
• West Baltimore, Maryland
• Baltimore, Maryland (Penn Station)
• Martin State Airport
• Edgewood, Maryland
• Aberdeen, Maryland
• Perryville, Maryland

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 MTA 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.

External Link

• Maryland Transit Administration (http://www.mtamaryland.com)