MARC Train

Maryland Area Rail Commuter
A MARC HHP-8 leads an express train into Odenton station in Odenton, Maryland
A MARC HHP-8 leads an express train into Odenton station in Odenton, Maryland
Overview
OwnerMaryland Transit Administration
LocaleBaltimore–Washington metropolitan area
Transit typeCommuter rail
Number of lines3
Number of stations42
Daily ridership13,900 (weekdays, Q3 2024)[1]
Annual ridership3,860,600 (2023)[2]
Chief executiveHolly Arnold[3]
Websitemta.maryland.gov/marc-train
Operation
Began operation1984; 40 years ago (1984) (as Maryland Rail Commuter)
Operator(s)Alstom (Camden and Brunswick Lines)
Amtrak (Penn Line)
Reporting marksMARC
Infrastructure manager(s)Amtrak, CSX
Technical
System length187 mi (301 km)
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
ElectrificationOverhead line, 12 kV 25 Hz AC (Penn Line)
Top speed125 mph (201 km/h)
System map
Map
Capitol Limited
Martinsburg
Duffields
Capitol Limited
Harpers Ferry
Brunswick
Point of Rocks Tunnel
Point of Rocks
Monocacy
Frederick
Dickerson
Barnesville
Boyds
Perryville
Cecil Transit
Germantown
Metropolitan Grove
Aberdeen
AmtrakHarford Transit
Gaithersburg
Washington Grove
Edgewood
Capitol Limited
Rockville
Garrett Park
Martin Airport
Martin State Airport
Route 59 (MTA Maryland LocalLink)
Kensington
Silver Spring
Penn Station
Amtrak
Maryland Transit Administration
West Baltimore
Frederick Road
closed 1984
Camden Station
Route 77 (MTA Maryland)
Halethorpe
St. Denis
Elkridge
closed 1996
Dorsey
BWI Airport
Baltimore–Washington International Airport
AmtrakBWI Rail Station#Public transit services
Jessup
Savage
Odenton
Regional Transportation Agency of Central Maryland
Laurel Race Track
Bowie State
Laurel
Bowie
closed
Muirkirk
Seabrook
Metrobus (Washington, D.C.)
Greenbelt
Lanham
closed
Berwyn
closed 1991
College Park
New Carrollton
AmtrakNew Carrollton station
Riverdale
Landover
closed
Hyattsville
closed c. 1980s
Virginia Railway Express AmtrakWashington Union Station#ServicesDC Streetcar
Union Station
Key
Penn Line
Camden Line
Brunswick Line

The Maryland Area Rail Commuter (MARC)[4] is a commuter rail system in the Washington–Baltimore area. MARC (reporting mark MARC) is administered by the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) and operated under contract by Alstom and Amtrak on track owned by CSX Transportation (CSXT) and Amtrak.[5][6] In 2023, the system had a ridership of 3,860,600, or about 13,900 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024, less than pre-COVID-19 pandemic weekday ridership of 40,000.[7]

With trains on the Penn Line reaching a maximum speed of 125 miles per hour (201 km/h), MARC has the highest top speed of any commuter railroad in the United States.[8]

  1. ^ "Transit Ridership Report Third Quarter 2024" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. November 20, 2024. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  2. ^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  3. ^ "StackPath". www.masstransitmag.com. November 12, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  4. ^ "2020 Maryland Statutes :: Transportation :: Title 7 – Mass Transit :: Subtitle 2 – Maryland Transit Administration :: Section 7-208 – Jurisdiction of Administration Over Transit Facilities". Justia Law. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  5. ^ "Alstom receives new contract for MARC operations, maintenance". Trains News Wire. April 10, 2023.
  6. ^ "Amtrak Awarded Five-Year Contract for MARC Penn Line". Mass Transit. Endeavor Business Media. February 28, 2018.
  7. ^ https://frederickcountymd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/323253/TSAC-MARC-101-presentation [bare URL PDF]
  8. ^ Starcic, Janna (June 17, 2016). "Maryland's MARC Railroad Upgrades Fleet, Service to Bolster Ridership". Metro Magazine. Retrieved December 22, 2017.