Brunswick Line
| Brunswick Line | |||
|---|---|---|---|
standard gauge | |||
| Operating speed | 34 mph (55 km/h) (avg.) | ||
| |||
The Brunswick Line is a
History
The B&O had long operated commuter trains between Washington and Martinsburg, and continued to do so after the start of Amtrak on May 1, 1971. Maryland began subsidizing the trains in 1974 and, in 1975, assumed full responsibility for the subsidy and equipment replacement. West Virginia followed suit soon after, guaranteeing service to its stations.[2]
In 1983, as part of a federal requirement for Conrail (which operated the Penn Line service) to end its operation of commuter railroads on behalf of states, the state government of Maryland took control of its commuter railroads, organizing them under the "MARC" (Maryland Area Rail Commuter) service name.[3] Trains on the Brunswick Line were operated under contract by CSX Transportation, successor to the B&O. Brunswick Line service was augmented in 1986 when Amtrak transferred its Washington–Martinsburg Blue Ridge to MARC after agreeing to subsidize the train for five years.[2]
In May 2010, MARC announced that it planned to find a new operator for the Brunswick and Camden Lines after CSX announced its desire to discontinue operation of commuter trains.[4] MARC selected Bombardier Transportation Services USA Corporation (BTS) (a subsidiary of the Canadian company Bombardier Transportation) to replace CSX, and BTS assumed operations and maintenance of the lines on June 29, 2013. CSX continues to dispatch the lines.[5]
Rolling stock
Brunswick Line trains typically have four to six single- or bilevel passenger cars and one or two diesel locomotives. The trains operate in a push-pull configuration, with the cab car typically facing Washington.
Before they were replaced by new Bombardier Multilevel II cars, MARC's ex-Metra Pullman Gallery cars were used exclusively on the Brunswick Line, which is the only MARC line with all low-level platforms (except the Frederick Branch, which has a high-level platform at Monocacy station).
Service
The Brunswick Line has service only on weekdays,[6] with nine trains in each direction during morning and evening rush hour, and an additional train outbound from Union Station on Fridays. Three of the nine trains in each direction serve the Frederick branch. Of the remainder, three inbound and three outbound serve Martinsburg, while the remainder originate or terminate at Brunswick. A bus runs between Frederick and Point of Rocks, meeting trains that do not serve the Frederick Branch.[6]
Union Station is the southern terminus of Amtrak's
Stations
The Brunswick Line serves the following stations. Not all trains stop at all stations.
| State | Town/City | Station | Connections |
|---|---|---|---|
DC |
Washington, D.C. | Union Station | MTA Commuter Bus : 903, 922
|
| MD | Silver Spring | Silver Spring | MTA Commuter Bus : 915, 929
|
| Kensington | Kensington |  Ride On: 4, 5, 33, 34, 37
| |
| Garrett Park | Garrett Park | Ride On: 5, 37, 38
| |
| Rockville | Rockville | : 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 52, 54, 55, 56, 59, 63, 81, 101 | |
| Washington Grove | Washington Grove | Ride On: 61
| |
| Gaithersburg | Gaithersburg | Ride On: 57
| |
| Metropolitan Grove | Ride On: 61
| ||
| Germantown | Germantown | Ride On: 61, 75, 83,[7] 97
| |
| Boyds | Boyds[8] | ||
| Barnesville | Barnesville | ||
| Dickerson | Dickerson[8] | ||
| Frederick | Monocacy | MTA Commuter Bus: 204, 505, 515 Meet-the-MARC shuttle
| |
| Frederick | MTA Commuter Bus: 515 Meet-the-MARC shuttle
| ||
| Brunswick Line: | |||
| Point of Rocks | Point of Rocks | Meet-the-MARC shuttle
| |
| Brunswick | Brunswick | ||
| WV | Harpers Ferry | Harpers Ferry | Capitol Limited
|
| Duffields | Duffields | ||
| Martinsburg | Martinsburg | Capitol Limited
| |
References
- ^ "MTA Average Weekday Ridership – by Month". Maryland Open Data Portal. June 2017. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
- ^ a b West Virginia Department of Transportation, State Rail Authority (March 12, 2013). "West Virginia State Rail Plan: Maryland Area Regional Commuter Service". Archived from the original on October 7, 2016. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
- ^ MARC History on MTA website Archived April 23, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "MARC to seek new operator for CSX-run routes". Trains Magazine. June 14, 2010. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
- The Washington Examiner. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
- ^ a b "Brunswick Line Schedule" (PDF). MTA Maryland. March 4, 2019. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ "New Shuttle Service Between Kingsview Park & Ride Lot and Germantown MARC Station Now Available". Montgomery County, MD. Archived from the original on June 21, 2015. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
- ^ a b Closure of station due to low ridership was proposed in an early-2006 MARC plan that was ultimately canceled.
| Agencies | |
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| Washington Metro | |
| Commuter rail | |
| Inter-city rail | |
| Bus |
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| Bus rapid transit | |
| DC Streetcar | |
| Aviation | |
| Future projects | |
