Idea for Marc/VRE weekend services.

on weekends most regionals leave around 20-25 after the hour(at least my train 160 does) and acelas at the top of the hour plus the long hauls. but there are southbounds too. especially during periods of trackwork, which they have doing on track 3 the last month or so and there will work trains this spring and summer. I'm not against weekend service, just trying to see how it would work out.

I would love to see weekend service but don't hold your breath. Firstly with Amtrak running the Penn Line, they have no incentive to agree as any service would cut into what is probably a healthy business carting people out to BWI for weekend flights. (Although if I lived in DC I'd schedule any BWI flights during the week so I could take MARC and avoid Amtrak's positively moronic loading procedures at Union Station - I'd rather sit in a MARC seat for 40 minute than have to stand in a line for 25 minutes for a 25 minute train trip. And if you take the 5:20 pm "express" it's only a 20 minute trip to BWI. I thought about creating a post about this issue on the Amtrak forum, but I'm sure the ninny mods would say "we can't discuss security" - but it's complete BS, it's "Security Theater". Look it up.) Anyhow, I'm not sure the plans before the economic crash were as finalized as people here say they were. Where are people getting that information? MARC's website never had any specifics other than the pdf that was full of grandiose schemes. Also as I've said before the demographics of commuter rail here just aren't what they are further to the northeast. I've seen more "diversity" - whatever that means - on one single NJ Transit trip out of NYC on a Saturday night than a month of riding MARC. I've thought of writing a story for the New Yorker (snicker, snicker) about things I've seen on NJ Transit and I've probably only ridden it 10 times in my life! But no one in Aberdeen apparently thinks "let's go take the train down to Baltimore or DC to hang out this Saturday" while thousands of people in Trenton apparently do - to NYC. That being said it still makes me sick for example to be visiting a friend who lives in the Swarthmore area and see a SEPTA EMU puttering along with no kidding, one passenger in it, on Saturday at 2pm. Commuter rail will never have that kind of entitlement down here, even in Maryland. (not that I'd necessarily want Septa's system...the inside of the cars are junk compared to the Kawasakis and every line seems to have 85 stops.)

@dt_40

I don't think anyone said the plans were finalized. In fact, before the economic problems MARC said that the reason it wasn't started yet was because they had Amtrak crewing issues, but it certainly wasn't abandoned. Of course when the problems came around it fell to the wayside, since the MTA couldn't afford it anyway.

As for the rest of your post, once again you're comparing NYC to DC/Balt., which isn't practical. New York is a rail rider's dreamtown. There's virtually no place in the area that isn't accessed by rail, almost around the clock. Although I will say that the last time I was in New York, I was disappointed I had to head back to Yonkers "early" so we wouldn't miss the last Metro-North train at 1:50am.

That said I already explained why weekend (and public holiday) service hasn't been as important as it is in other cities, including those smaller than DC--because the vast majority of workers in other cities aren't federal workers who all have weekends and practically every holiday off. If that wasn't the case, MARC would probably have had weekend service from the beginning.

As for diversity, it really depends which line you ride. The Brunswick Line isn't all that diverse, but the Penn Line certainly is, and the Camden Line is as well. When I used to take reverse flow trains on the Camden Line, there wasn't a lot of people, but they came from all walks of life imaginable: mothers with babies, parents taking the kids to B'more for the day, professionals working in B'more, teens, rich, poor, and all races in existence. Of course it's not comparable to New York, but it's certainly there although I don't see how that has any effect on commuter rail ridership.

Railroads are a major part of Maryland history and culture hosting the B&O, the Ma and Pa, the PRR, WMR, and others. As of 2008 Maryland has the 5th highest percentage of residents that ride public transit (in 2004 it was 3rd).

I'm from Northern NJ and I would be one of those people who would take the train to B-More or DC from Perryville on the weekend. It kills me that I can't. And it kills me even more you can't head North to Philly on MARC at all. I totally understand that Maryland ridership doesn't really compare to the ridership of N-NJ/NYC but I am willing to bet MANY people will be taking trips as long as it runs efficiently and it is advertised correctly (hence BILLBOARDS on rt 40). How do Cecil county people feel about service? Especially North East and Elkton. Weekend service would be a bonus as I can go to Northeast from Perryville and enjoy the downtown on a Sat/Sun afternoon. I am sure filling these service gaps would boost ridership big time.

Amtrak on the Fredericksburg line isn't really a substitute for weekend commuter train service, because a round trip from Fredericksburg to Washington runs $40 or $50.

Bobby S wrote:I'm from Northern NJ and I would be one of those people who would take the train to B-More or DC from Perryville on the weekend. It kills me that I can't. And it kills me even more you can't head North to Philly on MARC at all. I totally understand that Maryland ridership doesn't really compare to the ridership of N-NJ/NYC but I am willing to bet MANY people will be taking trips as long as it runs efficiently and it is advertised correctly (hence BILLBOARDS on rt 40). How do Cecil county people feel about service? Especially North East and Elkton. Weekend service would be a bonus as I can go to Northeast from Perryville and enjoy the downtown on a Sat/Sun afternoon. I am sure filling these service gaps would boost ridership big time.

I live in North Jersey too and I would do the exact same things. I think many people in North Jersey-South Jersey would have the idea lets go to Baltimore or DC by train then they see the 100 Round Trip at the least to go down and they settle for the 20 RT NJ Transit to NYC.

Here's the response I got today from MARC:

"Thank you for contacting MARC. About a year and a half ago MARC was
prepared to operate a limited weekend service on the Penn line and then
we were faced with budget cuts caused by the failing economy. There were
also plans to increase service but these plans that were outlined in the
"MARC Growth and Investment Plan" have been put on hold. Hopefully, the
economy will pick up and we will be in a position to continue with the
growth of MARC services."

MARC/Donna Walsh

r40slant wrote:on weekends most regionals leave around 20-25 after the hour(at least my train 160 does) and acelas at the top of the hour plus the long hauls. but there are southbounds too. especially during periods of trackwork, which they have doing on track 3 the last month or so and there will work trains this spring and summer. I'm not against weekend service, just trying to see how it would work out.

OK, sure - assume that you take one track completely out of service all summer. That still leaves you one track in each direction - one NB and one SB. Assuming that there is one LD train running up the corridor an hour (gross oversimplification, I know) that still means that the only northbound track will have 3 trains an hour (1 Acela, 1 regional, 1 LD). Certainly that can be easily managed. Are there any LD trains that leave 10-15 minutes after a regional? That's the only thing that would hose it up, and dead simple to schedule around (either that regional skips OTN or the schedules are tweaked so that the LD train leaves first).

I was skeptical because we've seen this show before. However, a significant step has been taken and that leads me to believe the day is actually coming. I think this has an extremely good chance happening sooner than predicted.

http://crofton.patch.com/articles/marc- ... nd-service

MARC Penn Line Could Add Weekend Service
During a meeting with business leaders in Gambrills, Sen. Jim Rosapepe said the transportation package supported by the Legislature calls for an expansion of MARC service.

You may now be able to ride the train on weekend as well.

The MARC Penn Line could add weekend service to Odenton under provisions outlined in the transportation packaged approved by Maryland lawmakers.

Sen. Jim Rosapepe (D-21) said the Maryland Legislature gave its support for expanded MARC service during the 2013 legislative session. The plan calls for the MARC Penn Line to offer Saturday and Sunday service to Odenton, Rosapepe said.

I can add to your post above!

I was at National Train Day in DC on Saturday spoke to 2 Marc Representatives and a MARC conductor who all said that the funding is there, they are in negotiations and are hoping to begin service after Thanksgiving BUT before Christmas.

Something along the lines of bi-hourly service.

Lets keep our fingers crossed.

Weekend service on the Penn Line is now about to be a reality, perhaps as early as this winter. Governor O'Malley signed the transportation funding bill announcing $1.2 billion in new funding for highway and transit projects in the linked press release. The funding includes:

•$100 M for MARC Enhancements (Penn-weekend service, Camden-weekday 2 new roundtrips, New locomotives) – Baltimore and Washington, D.C. regions;

•Transit Funding for Final Design (Red Line $170M, Purple Line $280M, Corridor Cities Transitway $100M) – Baltimore and Washington, D.C. regions.

The new locomotives are to be diesel locomotives, according to a Greater Greater Washington poster from handouts at the signing ceremony. So, no ACS-64 electric locomotives (for now). Meanwhile, the Purple Line and Baltimore Red Line projects got significant amounts of funding. I think there is more than just Final Design in those amounts for the two LRT projects, probably funds for property acquisition, ROW clearance pre-construction, maybe utility relocation.

Question: I think a Purple Line thread can be put into the Washington Metrorail forum as the Purple Line will be a connecting line across 4 Metro stops. But where would a thread or discussion of the Baltimore Red Line go? Not part of MARC/VRE.

Any word on if MARC will restore the cut late night weekday services?

Jersey_Mike wrote:Any word on if MARC will restore the cut late night weekday services?

They didn't really cut it, just "readjusted" it (citing low ridership). So basically, not anytime soon.

realtype wrote:

Jersey_Mike wrote:Any word on if MARC will restore the cut late night weekday services?

They didn't really cut it, just "readjusted" it (citing low ridership). So basically, not anytime soon.

I hope the forthcoming weekend train have late departures.

Well the MTA said 9 roundtrips approx. every 2 hours from 9am to 9pm. They're still working out details with Amtrak though.

"afiggatt"

Question: I think a Purple Line thread can be put into the Washington Metrorail forum as the Purple Line will be a connecting line across 4 Metro stops. But where would a thread or discussion of the Baltimore Red Line go? Not part of MARC/VRE.

This bring up an issue that may need to be addressed.

There is no forum dedicated to the Maryland Transit Administration rail transit facilities (Baltimore Metro, Central Light rail and future east west Red Line)

It might be necessary to change the title of the Washington MetroRail forum to Baltimore Washington Rail Transit so there would be a forum for discussion the of all things heavy rail rapid transit, light rail and streetcar in the two metropolitan areas.

The Marc/VRE forum would remain as it is.