MARC to add weekend Penn Line service

Maryland MARC train weekend service on the agency's Penn Line (Northeast Corridor) could begin this summer, funded by a new transportation law boosting revenue from the state's gas tax, state officials said Thursday, May 16.

Weekend service, being eyed as early as 2008, was postponed indefinitely due to the Great Recession, officials noted. MARC Penn Line service has operated on weekdays only, initially between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., since MARC was established in 1984; Penn Line service now extends north of Baltimore to Perryville, Md.

Gov. Martin O’Malley signed the revenue bill Thursday. MARC expansion was one of 10 highway and transit initiatives — together worth about $1.2 billion — announced Thursday by the Maryland Department of Transportation as the result of passage of the transportation bill.

“We hope it will encourage more visitors to consider Baltimore for day trips, long weekends and vacations since it will be easier than ever to get here seven days a week,” Tom Noonan, president of Visit Baltimore, said to local media.