Riding all of MARC in one day

[markonthetrain]

I'm looking at the fastest way to ride the entire MARC commuter rail system in one day.

The absolute fastest route is 7 hours 40 minutes, but it involves getting from Baltimore Penn Station to Camden Yards in 20 minutes at midday and, if you miss that, blowing your entire trip. It goes like this:

1210 Penn departs Union Station
1406 Penn arrives Perryville
1425 Penn departs Perryville
1520 Penn arrives Baltimore Penn - get downtown in 20 minutes!
1540 Camden departs Camden
1645 Camden arrives Union Station
1740 Brunswick departs Union Station
1950 Brunswick arrives Martinsburg

A safer version takes 10 hours 20 minutes and goes like this:

0625 Brunswick departs Martinsburg
0832 Brunswick arrives Union Station
1210 Penn departs Union Station
1406 Penn arrives Perryville
1425 Penn departs Perryville
1520 Penn arrives Baltimore Penn - get downtown in 20 minutes!
1540 Camden departs Camden
1645 Camden arrives Union Station

But this way, if you miss that 1540 train at Camden, you can catch the next one at 1720, and still finish your itinerary that day.

Can anyone do better? Has anyone actually done this?

[jcepler1]

Not quite- this doesn't include the Frederick Branch.

[ThirdRail7]

Not quite- this doesn't include the Frederick Branch.

I don't see a way around this without using a cab to double back from Frederick to Dickerson and completing the run to Martinsburg. You may have to extend your day and possibly start in Camden to accomplish this.

[ThirdRail7]

How about:

0500 Depart Martinsburg
0601 Arrive Barnesville

DH taxi/uber/bus to Frederick

0710 Depart Frederick
0852 Arrive Washington DC
1210 Depart Washington DC
1406 Arrive Perryville
1425 Depart Perryville
1515 Arrive Baltimore Penn

DH Light Rail Penn-Camden

1720 Depart Baltimore Camden
1828 Arrive Washington DC
1925 Depart Washington DC
2042 Arrive Brunswick-transfer to Guaranteed Connecting Bus
2125 Arrive Martinsburg

This is 4 hours longer but it gives you everything you need and builds in recovery time. This time is needed if you plan to make this trip in the summer because heat restrictions are likely. Plus, you start where you finish (you plan started in one place and finished in another) and gives you time to eat in Baltimore and Washington.

[njtmnrrbuff]

You may need to have your starting point at either Martinsburg or Frederick because there are no reverse peak trains that serve those towns. In fact, the service is so meager from those places to begin with that you basically need to plan extra accordingly. Between Baltimore and Perryville isn't much better but there is a midday trip. Remember, Amtrak's Capitol Limited travels on the same exact tracks from Washington D.C. to Martinsburg. I have ridden that train many times and in fact, will be in a few weeks to and from the NRHS convention.

[gprimr1]

Also worth mentioning, don't try this on a hot day, CSX's heat orders could force you to miss a connection with if you are using the Camden line to get back to DC.