MARC Weekend Ridership Blossoms

Press Release

Governor Martin O'Malley and Lt. Governor Anthony Brown today announced that it was another record-breaking weekend for the Maryland Department of Transportation's Maryland Transit Administration's (MTA) popular MARC Penn Line service as thousands of tourists took to the rails to enjoy several Washington, D.C. attractions, including the final weekend of the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Preliminary ridership figures indicate that approximately 13,338 passengers rode MARC Penn Line trains on Saturday, April 12, and Sunday, April 13 -- tripling the ridership figure of 4,085 during the launch of the weekend service on December 7 and December 8.

"Our investments in expanding MARC service have allowed more Marylanders to enjoy the weekend sights and sounds of Baltimore and Washington, D.C. without having to get behind the wheel of their cars," said Governor O'Malley. "Expanding MARC service will help us meet our goals of doubling transit ridership by 2020 and reducing Maryland's greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020."

MARC weekend service was made possible thanks to $46 million added by Governor O'Malley and Lt. Governor Brown to the Maryland Department of Transportation's six-year budget with funds from the Transportation Infrastructure Investment Act of 2013 (Transportation Act).

"Adding weekend service on the MARC Penn Line translates into expanding opportunities for more Marylanders," said Lt. Governor Brown. "From expanding existing transit service to moving forward with the next generation of transit in the Red and Purple Lines, this Administration has made transportation investments a priority to help move our economy forward and create jobs for Maryland families."

MARC weekend service offers nine round trips between Penn Station and Union Station on Saturdays and six round trips on Sundays for the same $7.00 one-way fare offered on weekdays with monthly and weekly passes honored. Serving Martin State Airport, Baltimore's Penn Station, West Baltimore, Halethorpe, BWI, Odenton, Bowie, New Carrollton and Washington, D.C.'s Union Station, the complete schedule is available online at www.mta.maryland.gov.

"From the Cherry Blossom Festival to the Washington Wizards and Capitals games, we appreciate the patience of our customers in dealing with the high volume of riders utilizing MARC weekend service between Baltimore and Washington D.C.," said MTA Administrator Robert Smith. "We continue to encourage MARC weekend customers to arrive at their stations early and purchase tickets in advance to avoid long lines and the extra on-board $3.00 surcharge at stations that have ticket kiosks."

For the latest information on MTA service, passengers are urged to check the MTA website at www.mta.maryland.gov. Customers can also call the MTA Transit Information Contact Center Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 410-359-5000 or TTY 410-539-3497. To sign up for email about service modifications and delays, go to www.mta.maryland.gov/enotifications. Visit MTA's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/mtamaryland or Twitter feed at http://twitter.com/mtamaryland.

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