The Maryland Transit Administration is offering discounted tickets for some MARC trains and commuter buses to help ease the burden caused by the temporary closings of some Washington Metro stations this summer.
Now until Sept. 1, fares on the MARC Brunswick Line, which runs from Western Maryland to Washington, D.C., through Silver Spring, and MTA commuter buses 305, 315 and 325 will be reduced by roughly half for riders hopping on board at Garrett Park, Kensington and Silver Spring headed for Washington’s Union Station.
The MTA is pitching in with reduced fares as the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, or Metro, temporarily shuts down the five northernmost stations on its Red Line for construction. The full shutdown will allow the agency to conduct repairs and improvements that would otherwise cause eight months of temporary weekend closures and disruptions, Metro said in a recent news release.
It will also allow the MTA to build a new mezzanine at the Silver Spring station that will offer a direct connection to the future Purple Line, a 16-mile light rail line that will connect New Carrollton in Prince George’s County with Bethesda in Montgomery County. The Purple Line, which has faced significant cost overruns and construction delays, is slated to start operating in 2027.
Construction on the D.C. subway system’s Red Line begins June 1. The Takoma station will reopen by June 30, and the remaining four stations will reopen at the end of August. Metro will run free shuttle buses between all closed stations during regular operating hours until Aug. 31 and parking at each will be free. Additional information, including about other local Metro routes, can be found here.
Discounted one-way, round-trip, weekly and monthly passes for the MARC Brunswick Line trains are available at station ticket vending machines as well as on the mobile Charm Pass app, where riders can also purchase commuter bus tickets.
