BALTIMORE — Expanded weekday and weekend operation and extension of two of the system’s three lines are among changes proposed for MARC commuter train service in a report released Wednesday (June 25, 2025) by the Maryland Department of Transportation.
The 76-page MARC Growth and Transformation Plan includes five-year, 15-year, and “unconstrained” (longer-term) plans.
“Thanks to Maryland’s additional transportation revenues, MTA has funding to help move MARC Train forward on the track towards growth,” Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld said in a press release. “This plan serves as a roadmap for how MTA can advance MARC into the future and elevate the commuter rail system into a train for everyday life.” Maryland Transit Administration Holly Arnoald says the plan “represents an important step forward in a vision for a more connected and sustainable transportation network.”
The plan comes as MARC ridership has surged in 2025, up by 58% overall since January, with growth on all three lines: 52% on the Northeast Corridor’s Penn Line; 66% on the Camden Line; and 85% on the Brunswick Line to Martinsburg, W.Va., and Frederick, Md.
The five-year plan includes calls for peak-period service at intervals of 30 minutes or less on the Penn and Camden lines between Baltimore and Washington, and peak Brunswick Line service at intervals of 60 minutes or less. It also seeks Penn Line service at 60-minute off-peak intervals and twice per day off peak on the Brunswick Line.
The 15-year plan calls for peak service every 20 minutes or less on the Penn Line between Washington and Martin State Airport in Middle River, Md., with off-peak service every 30 minutes or less; extension of service on that line until midnight on weekdays; the launch of weekend service on the Brunswick Line; new Penn Line stations at Bayview and Elkton; extension of Penn Line service to Wilmington, Del.; extension of Brunwick Line service to Cumberland, Md.; and extension of some trains on both lines to Alexandria, Va.
The full plan, including the unconstrained portion, has an estimated capital cost of $13.7 billion.
QUESTION: How much track capacity (how many platforms) does the Washington station have for through services, north to south?