Headed to Manassas, Quantico or even Fredericksburg, Virginia, but want to skip the constant Carmaggedon of the Capital Beltway? Now you can get there on a single MARC train ticket when you get a pass for a week or longer.
The Maryland Transit Administration and Virginia Railway Express, which operates commuter rail service in Northern Virginia, will honor tickets for each other’s commuter train services as part of a new agreement announced Thursday.
MARC riders who purchase a ticket to go to Washington, D.C.’s Union Station can now transfer to either the VRE’s Manassas or Fredericksburg lines without purchasing an additional ticket. VRE riders bound for the nation’s capital can do the same, transferring to the MTA’s Penn, Camden or Brunswick lines without having to purchase a MARC ticket.
But, there’s a catch. The deal is only good for passengers who purchase a weekly, monthly or 10-trip pass for either system, according to the MTA.
Both MARC and VRE trains have scaled fare prices based on how far the ticket holder is traveling — passes will be honored no matter the origin station, as long as Union Station is the destination, according to an MTA spokesperson.
“This agreement represents a significant step forward in regional transit integration,” said Maryland Transit Administrator Holly Arnold in a press release. “We are not only fostering a more connected and efficient transportation network across our states but fueling economic growth by facilitating easier movement of people, supporting tourism and attracting business to the National Capital Region.”
Arnold, a transit “true believer” and visible MARC booster, rode MARC Thursday morning to meet VRE CEO Rich Dalton at Union Station to formally announce the agreement together.
“This agreement effectively expands the geographic footprint of commuter rail service in the region and provides passengers with an affordable two-seat ride across state lines,” Dalton said in a press release. “It lays the groundwork for future efforts to better align MARC and VRE operations, which is consistent with our long-range plan to grow VRE from a peak-period, commuter-focused rail service to an all-day, bi-directional transit system that can better meet the transportation needs of a growing region.”
Virginia is eyeing multiple long-term projects to expand passenger rail throughout the state. In June, VRE announced that it was working to acquire the D.C.-Manassas line from freight railroad company Norfolk Southern. In 2019, the state purchased more than 200 miles of rail track right-of-way from CSX Transportation — about half the rail track between Washington and Richmond — for roughly $3.7 billion.
VRE plans to boost service levels by 75% along the Interstate 95 corridor, according to the state’s 2022 rail plan, as it adds late-night and weekend trains. VRE trains now carry passengers from Union Station west to Manassas and Broad Run, and south to Quantico, Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania.
MARC’s Penn Line, the most popular of the MTA’s three, operates on Amtrak-owned track between Perryville in Cecil County and Washington’s Union Station, with stops at Baltimore’s Penn Station, the West Baltimore MARC station and Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. The Camden and Brunswick Lines, which run less frequently and have lower ridership, operate on track owned by CSX.
Such operating agreements between transit agencies and private rail companies have their advantages — they save the high cost of laying dozens of miles of steel to have their own track.
But they also come with their drawbacks — freight train interference and scheduling can often create bottlenecks. In 2019, 66% of the time that MARC trains spent delayed was the result of issues attributed to CSX and Amtrak, according to the state’s 2022 rail plan. Only about 9% of delays were because of MTA issues.
Some MARC riders have long wished for expanded late-night and weekend service, arguing that it would help the popular Baltimore-to-Washington commuting service also become a functional transit option between cities for concerts, sports games and other cultural events.
The MTA’s operating agreements with Amtrak and CSX could be one of the things holding them back. For the Camden and Brunswick lines, the agency has to negotiate train schedules with CSX and pays a daily access rate based on miles traveled. The agency also contracts Penn Line operations out to Amtrak.
