MARC
The Maryland Rail Commuter service (MARC) is an integral component of Maryland's transportation system. The 187-mile system serves as a major means of commuting between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore and Perryville, Maryland as well as Washington, D.C. and Martinsburg, West Virginia.
MARC's Brunswick line runs Monday through Friday from Union Station in Washington, DC as far as Martinsburg, WV. This line is shared with CSXT and Amtrak. The maintenance yards for MARC diesel locomotives is at Brunswick, Md. adjacent to the canal. This is an ex-B&O facility.
MARC is the Maryland Rail Commuter service, operating in the Baltimore/Washington area. MARC began operating in 1974. MARC trains are operated by Amtrak on the Penn Line, and CSX Transportation on the Camden and Brunswick Lines under contract to the Mass Transit Administration of the Maryland Department of Transportation. The MTA acquired control of MARC, Maryland's commuter rail system, under legislation by the General Assembly in 1992. MARC had been providing service throughout the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area for 18 years at that time.
The State of Maryland began subsidizing commuter rail service in 1974 on what is now the Camden and Brunswick lines through a contract with the B & O Railroad (now CSX). In 1976, the state began subsidizing service on what is now the Penn Line with Conrail. The State Railroad Administration - a separate entity under the Maryland Department of Transportation - was created by executive order in 1978 to oversee these commuter rail contracts as well as freight rail operations in the state. Amtrak took over operation on the Penn Line in 1982. The name MARC and the decision to begin marketing the commuter rail system began in 1984. In 1992, the State Railroad Administration was merged into the Mass Transit Administration which began overseeing operation of the MARC commuter rail system.
MARC Brunswick Line Service; Martinsburg, WV to Washington, DC
This line is the old B&O Metropolitan (Met) Branch from Washington to Point of Rocks. Then, it follows the B&O Main Stem to Martinsburg. Construction on the Met line started in 1866 east from Barnesville. In 1928, it was double tracked. In that year, 38 passenger trains per day travelled the Met, plus heavy freight traffic. CSX tracks along the Met have CTC (centralized traffic control). Typically this line has between 15 and 25 CSXT freight trains a day, 18 MARC trains, and Amtrak's Capital Limited. This line has 3 station stops in West Virginia, 13 in Maryland, and a destination of Union Station in Washington DC.
Trains of the Maryland Rail Commuter Service (MARC) are often seen in Cumberland for special events. Freed from their weekday commuter chores, these brightly colored diesels and modern coaches enjoy their weekends in the mountains. The MARC trains are used for the excursions to the Orioles games, and for the Railfest Fall folliage excursions.