MARC Trains to add weekend service

[Amtrak7]

One way from Baltimore to DC making all local stops is 59min northbound, 54min southbound. With a 15min layover on either end, a 2.5hour headway can be achieved with one train. With two trains that can be reduced to every 75min. A 8am to 9pm span of service would mean roughly 10 trains per direction per day. Skip a run or two if limited (two roundtrips?) Perryville service is desired.

[CentralValleyRail]

Marc Weekend Service to Start on December 7th.

Details that have been made available:

http://www.capitalgazette.com/news/gove ... eed5b.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Weekend services will start on Dec. 7.

Saturday will offer nine round trips between Penn Station and Union station:

Penn Station departures: 7:35 a.m. to 9:15 p.m.

Union Station departures 9:02 a.m to 10:35 p.m.

Sunday will offer six round trips between Penn Station and Union Station:

Penn Station depatures 9:15 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Union Station departures 10:40 a.m. to 7 p.m.


Would love to get my hands on a new schedule of the weekend service, if anyone finds one please post it here.

Another article stated that some trains will begin and end at Martin State Airport.

Also stated that all stations would be served with the exception of Seabrook. Understandable the NC Metro is about 2.5 miles away from Seabrook and DC Bus service stops there.

Can't find the link for that article I was reading it on my phone.

Also stated that the new cars optioned from NJ Transit Bombardier Contract will be put into service between now and the beginning of 2014. Some good things for MARC ahead.

I might come down from NJ to patronize the first day of service!

EDIT: Looks like they will be using two consists. with about 95 minutes headways on Saturday and 82 Minute Headways on Sunday. Based off the 9 and 6 round trip info.

[R36 Combine Coach]

Annoucement from Governor Governor O’Malley on Transportation Improvements (9/4/13)

Governor O’Malley today also delivered on his promise to launch the first-ever MARC Train weekend service by announcing service will start on Saturday, December 7, 2013 on the Penn Line. Saturday will offer nine round trips between Penn Station in Baltimore and Union Station in Washington, D.C. Sunday will offer six round trips between Penn Station and Union Station.

Nearly $1.5 billion in key projects for the Baltimore Metropolitan Region, including $46 million to operate the first-ever MARC Train weekend service. Service on the Penn Line will start on Saturday, December 7, 2013, and will provide nine round trips on Saturdays and six round trips on Sundays.

I would assume final official full timetables would be announced in November.

[TheOneKEA]

This is AMAZING! I'm happy to finally see it happen!

I will certainly make use of these services and I would not be surprised if ridership rises rapidly. The biggest impediment to the success of these services will be poor marketing and I hope the MTA does a good job advertising these trains as we get closer to the start date.

[Jersey_Mike]

$52 million for MARC Commuter Rail improvements to purchase 10 new diesel locomotives and to add two daily round trips to weekday service on the MARC Camden Line;

I wonder what they will buy. Some MP40's would be sweet.

$246 million to replace Baltimore Metro Subway’s 100 railcar fleet and 15 miles of signaling systems;

Ugh WTF...not cool man. Those Budds have decades left in them and one could replace the propulsion systems for about $15 million as was done with the SEPTA B-IV cars.

[Adirondacker]

I guess some people are going to work, but most people are just people who are going into NYC for whatever reason: to visit people, go shopping, go to shows, etc. The northeast is densely populated but it's also densely traveled. I've been on a train leaving Manhattan for Trenton at 8pm that was packed, on a Saturday.

Traffic into and out of Manhattan is congested almost around the clock. Once you get there parking is very difficult. The tolls are high. Between the congestion and the tolls, taking the train can be faster and cheaper. Washington DC and Balitmore, not so much.

[dt_rt40]

Well, this exceeds my expectations. Good for MARC.

"Traffic into and out of Manhattan is congested almost around the clock. Once you get there parking is very difficult. The tolls are high. Between the congestion and the tolls, taking the train can be faster and cheaper. Washington DC and Balitmore, not so much."

I don't disagree with any of this. Even if you take the DC/Balto. combined CSA definition, NYC has at least 2.5X the population and probably 4X the weighted density. But I think that, given time, there will be a solid market for Washington to Baltimore weekend service. I don't even know many people in DC anymore but I know of youngish people who go up to Baltimore semi-frequently for those various uniquely Baltimorean activities. And quite honestly even if the Silver line finally makes it to Dulles- and this is Virginia we're talking about, so don't hold your breath, if I live in downtown DC and need to take an international flight - much as I love Eero Saarinen's masterpiece - with MARC weekend service choosing BWI will be a complete no brainer. A train that makes a few stops, has very comfy seats if one gets a Kawasaki, has bathrooms...versus a slow, crowded metro train that will make 4 stops in Tysons on the weekend to let approximately no one on or off? Yes, I'll take MARC thank you.

[MACTRAXX]

Everyone: This is certainly good news!

MARC finally adding weekend service on the Penn Line is a good move...

I only question the timing because these trains could have been well used over the five day
Thanksgiving holiday period (November 27-December 1) that is just over a week before this
initial weekend service begins...Why was December 7th chosen as the first day?

Does MARC have any plans to negotiate with CSX to possibly allow more service on the
Camden and Brunswick lines?

MACTRAXX

[dt_rt40]

"Does MARC have any plans to negotiate with CSX to possibly allow more service on the
Camden and Brunswick lines?"

I think they take what they can get. I have wondered if the Bombardier takeover will sour things w/CSX even more than the existing state of affairs. Who knows. Since the original social compact/obligation/unwritten law of the land, whatever it was, hasn't involved weekend service for literally half a century...I think CSX would expect an impossible blood sacrifice to even consider allowing it. Like "MARC pays to put in another track without distrupting existing traffic" for billions of dollars. So it will basically never happen. Really, even for people in Frederick, Shady Grove really isn't THAT bad a drive at the weekend, so I can't lose much sleep over them not having weekend service. It's a easy drive down a highway. Same for people along the Camden line. Just drive a little more in non-rush traffic and you're near a Penn line station.

[Amtrak7]

http://mta.maryland.gov/sites/default/f ... eekend.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

3 sets on Saturdays, 2 sets on Sundays. Pull-ins and pull-outs to/from Martin State Airport. Inconsistent headways.

Holiday service: Sunday on MLK and Presidents' Days; Saturday on Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans' Day, Thanksgiving, Black Friday; No service Christmas and New Year's. I hope that Sat/Sun is backwards, it makes no sense as is.

[CentralValleyRail]

Agreed very odd!

Stacking 3 Trains in 80 minutes outbound (towards Baltimore) 4:10, 4:50, 5:30 seems like they think they're going to get commuters.

Hopefully after it starts up the kinks or can be ironed out and a better schedule devolved. I must say though in terms of Amtrak conflicts on Saturday 1 couldn't find a single one where an Amtrak train will overtake a Marc other than between Martins and Baltimore Penn.

Nevertheless very exciting to see!

[Arlington]

Stacking 3 Trains in 80 minutes outbound (towards Baltimore) 4:10, 4:50, 5:30 seems like they think they're going to get commuters

Maybe a mix of commuters working a "light" Saturday, or DOD/Security types working shifts, or maybe"home-for-dinner" tourists and "saturday classes" types?

[CentralValleyRail]

Stacking 3 Trains in 80 minutes outbound (towards Baltimore) 4:10, 4:50, 5:30 seems like they think they're going to get commuters

Maybe a mix of commuters working a "light" Saturday, or DOD/Security types working shifts, or maybe"home-for-dinner" tourists and "saturday classes" types?

You Make 3 Great Points, going to be interesting to see if it works out well that way.

I'm just happy to have it I occasionally like to drive to Baltimore and take the Train to DC and this opens a new option/chapter.

[Jersey_Mike]

Service looks good, but I still think MARC is selling travelers short with a 1030 last call. I guess weekend Nats games are in the daylight, but there could be games at the Verizon center not to mention just general clubbing and other events. Is any of the cut weekday service being restored?

[electricron]

Most of you act like MARC owns the Penn Line and can run its trains at any time it chooses. But MARC doesn't own the Penn Line, they can run trains only after reaching agreements with Amtrak. Weekend trains services around the country usually run at different times than weekday services.
There's usually a cry from late night partiers for trains to run much later no matter how empty the trains are. Few workers are really good at handling many late night, drunk, and demanding customers, just the fear of civil lawsuits alone is plenty of reason to wish to avoid them.
How late does DC Metro run its trains, and isn't that enough?