MD: County continues to seek expanded MARC service, but more trains likely years off

Frederick County continues to seek service from the MARC train system on evenings and weekends, but help from the state's transit system may not come for some time.

The county's letter to the state on its transportation priorities calls on the Maryland Department of Transportation's Maryland Transit Administration to add off-peak and weekend service on the administration's Brunswick line, which serves several stations in Frederick County.

The letter cites the critical link that the existing MARC service provides between Frederick County, Montgomery County, and Washington, D.C.

"The system could provide even greater benefits through strategic service enhancements that better align with novel commuting patterns in the post-pandemic world, including midday and off-peak service," the letter said.

The letter also calls for adding weekend MARC service "that will more effectively support tourism opportunities."

County Executive Jessica Fitzwater recently said that expanding MARC service would be a "critical step forward" for workers in the county, and that adding weekend service would be important for economic development in the county.

The MTA supports expanded service on the Brunswick line, and it is included in MARC's Growth & Transformation Plan, finalized in early 2025, spokeswoman Courtney Mims wrote in an email Friday.

The five-year phase of the plan would add two new weekday mid-day trains to the line's weekday peak-hour only service, she wrote.

The 15-year phase would add limited weekend service, with bi-directional, seven-day-a-week service envisioned in the plan's Unconstrained phase.

"Funding for the pilot has not been identified and MTA is exploring all potential opportunities for this service. MTA has had ongoing discussions with CSX about this service," Mims wrote.

MARC's Brunswick line runs from Washington's Union Station to Martinsburg, W.Va., with nine eastbound and nine westbound trains each weekday and another westbound train running on Fridays.

The line includes stations in Point of Rocks and Brunswick before going into West Virginia, as well as a branch that serves two stations in Frederick.

CSX spokesman Austin Staton referred questions Friday on expanded MARC service to the MTA.

One of the factors complicating any increased service is that, other than a 3-mile stretch of track near Frederick, the Brunswick line operates on tracks owned by the rail company CSX, which the MTA pays for the right to operate on its tracks.

According to a 2023 MTA report on the possible expansion of the Brunswick line, other concerns may give CSX reasons to limit passenger traffic on the line.

"America's import/export market is growing, and container traffic is evolving, which corresponds with increasing demand on freight corridors," the report said. "The Brunswick line is a central element of CSX's freight network and provides CSX with critical connectivity between the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest."

Business considerations are why Frederick County Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Rick Weldon doubts that additional service will be added.

Weldon wrote in an email Friday that he's convinced adding off-peak and weekend service would bring economic benefits to the county, as well as create weekend trips from Frederick County to Washington.

But increasing service has been a topic for decades, and CSX has expressed consistent reluctance, he wrote.

"They've historically opposed expansion of commuter rail, mostly because it's NOT their principal (or even reasonable) means of profiting from the rail right-of-way. They make their money from freight, not people," Weldon wrote.

Downtown Frederick Partnership Executive Director Kara Norman wrote in an email Friday that the Partnership would welcome expanded service.

"Adding off-peak and weekend trains would make it easier for people to live, work, and spend time in Frederick, helping attract residents and businesses while creating new opportunities for our local economy and supporting a vibrant downtown," Norman wrote.

Visit Frederick Executive Director Dave Ziedelis wrote in an email Friday that off-peak and weekend service would help draw international visitors from Washington, who are more familiar with trains and other forms of public transportation.

It would also add to the quality of life for county residents who work in Montgomery County or Washington, he wrote.

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