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MARC Brunswick Line
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MARC train at Rockville rail station as seen from the Metro platform. |
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| Overview | |||
| Type | Commuter rail line | ||
| System | MARC Commuter Rail | ||
| Status | Active | ||
| Locale | Washington D.C. and northern Maryland surburbs; West Virginia | ||
| Termini | Washington D.C. Union Station Martinsburg, WV |
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| Stations | 19 | ||
| Daily ridership | 7,822[1] | ||
| Operation | |||
| Opened | 1986 | ||
| Owner | CSX Transportation (tracks) | ||
| Operator(s) | CSX Transportation/Maryland Transit Administration | ||
| Technical | |||
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) | ||
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The Brunswick Line is a MARC commuter rail line consisting of a main line running from Washington D.C. to Martinsburg, West Virginia and a branch line from just south of Point-of-Rocks station to Frederick, Maryland. The service is operated under contract by CSX Transportation, but is administered by MARC, a service of the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA). The Brunswick Line is MARC's longest line, and operates over CSX's Metropolitan, Old Main Line, and Cumberland Subdivisions. It is the successor to commuter services provided by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O) as long ago as the mid-19th century. In 1971, Amtrak acquired passenger service from the B&O and established the Blue Ridge line in 1973.[2] In 1983, Maryland, along with a number of other Northeastern states, took control of its commuter railroads and the "MARC" (Maryland Area Regional Commuter) service name was established.[3] The Brunswick Line wasn't acquired from Amtrak until 1986.[2]
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The Brunswick Line (like the Camden Line) is a diesel-only line. All trains are 3-6 cars long with a single diesel locomotive in push-pull configuration (with cab-car end towards Union Station). The line uses primarily single level cars, with a few bilevels used for some trains. The Brunswick Line is the only line to utilize ex-Metra Pullman Gallery cars, since it's the only MARC line to use all low-level platforms on the main line between Martinsburg and Washington D.C. However, gallery cars are restricted from the Frederick Branch due to Monocacy station having a high-platform.
There are 9 total inbound and 9 outbound trains to/from Union Station on a normal weekday. On Fridays, there is an additional outbound train. 3 trains in each direction service the Frederick branch. The rest continue to/from Brunswick, with 2 inbounds and 3 outbounds going all the way to/from Martinsburg, WV. Meet-the-MARC Shuttle Bus connects Frederick with all trains that do not service Frederick directly (via Point of Rocks).
Amtrak's Capitol Limited, which runs daily in both directions between Chicago and Washington, D.C., uses the same trackage as the Brunswick Line and shares stations with MARC at Martinsburg, Harpers Ferry, Rockville, and Union Station. Connections are also available to the Washington Metro Red Line at Rockville, Silver Spring, and Union stations.
Trains are operated by CSX Transportation, although MARC announced in early May 2010 that it planned to find a new operator for the line, as well as for the Camden Line after CSX announced its desire to leave the business of operating commuter trains.[4]
The following station stops are made by Brunswick Line trains; not all trains make all stops.
| State | Town/City | Station | Connections |
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| DC | Washington, D.C. | Union Station | Amtrak: Cardinal, Capitol Limited, Carolinian, Crescent, Lake Shore Limited, Northeast Regional, Palmetto, Silver Meteor, Silver Star, Vermonter, Thruway Motorcoach to Charlottesville, Virginia Metrorail: Red Line Metrobus: Loudoun, OmniRide VRE: Manassas Line, Fredericksburg Line MARC: Camden Line, Penn Line MTA Commuter Bus: 903, 922 |
| MD | Silver Spring | Silver Spring | Metrorail: Red Line Metrobus: 70, 71, 79, F4, F6, J1, J2, J3, J4, J5, Q2, S2, S4, Y5, Y7, Y8, Y9, Z2, Z6, Z8, Z9, Z11, Z13, Z29 Ride On: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 28, 127 MTA Commuter Bus: 915, 929 |
| Kensington | Kensington | Ride On: 4, 5, 6, 7, 33, 34 | |
| Garrett | Garrett Park | ||
| Rockville | Rockville | Amtrak: Capitol Limited Metrorail: Red Line Metrobus: T2, Q2 Ride On: 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 52, 54, 55, 56, 59, 63, 81, T2 |
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| Washington Grove | Washington Grove | Ride On: 61 | |
| Gaithersburg | Gaithersburg | Ride On: 57 | |
| Metropolitan Grove | Ride On: 61 | ||
| Germantown | Germantown | Ride On: 61, 83, 97 | |
| Boyds | Boyds[5] | ||
| Barnesville | Barnesville | ||
| Dickerson | Dickerson[5] | ||
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| Frederick | Monocacy | TransIT: 10, 20 MTA Commuter Bus: 991 Meet-the-MARC shuttle |
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| Frederick | TransIT: 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 Meet-the-MARC shuttle |
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| Point of Rocks | Point of Rocks | Meet-the-MARC shuttle | |
| Brunswick | Brunswick | ||
| WV | Harpers Ferry | Harpers Ferry | Amtrak: Capitol Limited |
| Duffields | Duffields | ||
| Martinsburg | Martinsburg | Amtrak: Capitol Limited | |
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