by Kate Shunney
A multi-year public planning effort for Maryland’s commuter train service has resulted in the creation of a “MARC Growth and Transformation Plan” which was published in late June by the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) and Maryland Department of Transportation.
MARC is the Maryland Area Regional Commuter system that serves the tri-state region’s residents who work in the Washington, D.C./Baltimore metro area.
Elected officials and economic development leaders in Washington County, Md., Allegany County, Md. and Morgan County, W.Va. had added their input into the plan, urging MARC to consider extending their rail service out to Western Maryland, including a stop in Hancock, W.Va.
Historically, rail service used to serve the Hancock and Berkeley Springs areas, with a stop in Hancock and spurs to the sandmine and into Berkeley Springs.
In today’s world, regional officials have said they support more passenger train service out to this area to encourage commuting and day or weekend tourism trips from urban areas to Hancock and Berkeley Springs and Cumberland.
In the 75-page plan, MARC officials outline three phases of potential improvement and service growth – a 5-Year Phase, a 15-Year Phase and what they call the “Unconstrained Phase” of 2041 and beyond.
A Cumberland Extension on the MARC line would require “a new station at Hancock, WV, right-of-way acquisition and parking expansion at Cumberland station (currently served only by Amtrak), and construction of third track at Hancock and Green Spring”.
Rail officials noted that in addition to money, distant plans to extend rail service to Western Maryland would also require that the track owners – Amtrak and CSXT – would approve of more frequent commuter rail traffic on their tracks.
The entire plan can be downloaded and read at https://www.mta.maryland.gov/marc-growth-plan.
“The MARC Growth and Transformation Plan analysis shapes a refreshed vision and objectives, findings from market analysis, recommendations for necessary capital improvements, and implementation strategies for MARC. It also incorporates requirements of the 2022 Maryland Regional Rail Transformation Act (House Bill 778/ Senate Bill 524). The Plan encompasses the existing MARC system and extensions in Delaware, Virginia, and Western Maryland,” said MTA officials in their introduction to the document.
Using surveys of existing riders and rides and data of post-COVID commuter train habits, the MTA plan authors focused on ways to encourage more resident use of the commuter trains by adjusting schedules, ride lengths and stops and adding connecting bus service to make it easier for people to get to work using public transportation in the D.C./Baltimore area.
“Fully realized, this plan will provide more frequent, all-day and all-week rail service—including on weekends—across the system to better serve existing, changing, and new travel markets. Expansions into Delaware, Northern Virginia, and Western Maryland will vastly expand the reach of the system, offering more frequent service to more people safely and efficiently,” said MTA officials in the Executive Summary.
Bus service in 5-Year Phase
Western Maryland could be part of the 5-Year Phase of changes, as the MTA suggest adding a new connecting bus service from Hagerstown to the Monacacy Station on the Brunswick Line.
“The 5-Year Phase largely reflects the priority to reinvest in the existing rail system, while still making several key improvements to frequency and hours of operation—including spreading out the peak period to address changing commuting patterns,” the plan says.
Goals for 2026-2030 focus on adding more trains for high-volume routes to add riders who are looking for additional choices for when they can get a MARC train.
During Weekday Peak Service, MARC aims to expand their core service to include more stations and trains twice every hour or better.
On the Brunswick line, used most by this region, stations will have hourly service, and twice an hour during peak times in the commuter markets around Germantown to D.C.
West Virginia stations at Harpers Ferry, Duffields and Martinsburg will see three round-trip trains per day, similar to current patterns.
“The 5-Year Phase introduces new connecting bus service on the Brunswick line – between Hagerstown and Monocacy station – to expand the reach of MARC service in Western Maryland. Hagerstown will see three buses per day to Monacacy.”
Similar to today’s schedules, the Brunswick line will not run on weekends during the first 5-Year Phase of expansion on other lines.
In the 15-Year Phase, the Brunswick Line won’t see any major additions, except the introduction of service past Washington Union Station into Virginia, to add direct service to L’Enfant, Crystal City and Alexandria twice a day.
In the 15-Year Phase, however, MARC may introduce weekend trains on the Brunswick line for the first time, between Frederick and Union Station in D.C.
A bus connection from Hagerstown to Monocacy would also run on the weekends.
2041 and beyond
In the far future – 2041 and beyond – MARC would consider Weekday Off-Peak Service on the Brunswick Line that could look different:
“Off-peak service will continue past Brunswick, with two trains per day wot the West Virginia Stations of Harpers Ferry, Duffields, and Martinsburg, and further extended into Western Maryland to serve Hancock and Cumberland.”
Weekend service levels could also match weekday off-peak train service in what train officials are calling the “Unconstrained Phase” – a phase that could exist if financial and construction limitations disappeared. 
“All three phases of this plan are financially unconstrained, representing a vision that is beyond MTA’s existing revenue and funding streams The final phase, the Unconstrained Phase, highlights that there are further constraints beyond funding, including the construction of major capital improvements and completion of host railroad agreements, to be addressed before the new MARC service can be offered.”
The MARC Growth Plan also reviews regional rail plans that could intersect and coordinate with this region’s planning.
Those include planning for a Delaware rail line connecting northern Delaware with eastern Maryland, Acela Express expansion between Washington, D.C. and New York, the expansion and renovation of Union Station in D.C., plus additional Amtrak service between D.C. and Richmond, Va. and other Virginia cities.
MARC officials estimate that the total capital costs for all suggested changes through the Unconstrained Phase is $13.7 billion, in addition to the already-planned maintenance and fleet replacement costs needed to keep existing rail service operating safely.
MTA says it will need to find $116.8 million to make up the funding for the 5-Year Action Plan, which includes proposed bus service connections, new locomotives for the PennLine and planning needed for future phases.
