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MARYLAND TWO Commuter rail in Maryland is operated by a government agency called MARC (Maryland Area Rail Commuter). Commuter trains are less versatile than light rail. They cannot run on the street and make stops every block. But commuter trains are fast and comfortable and thus ideally suited for commuting longer distances. |
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When MARC took over commuter trains in Maryland, it inherited old equipment from the freight railroads that originally ran the local train service. This is a self-propelled diesel commuter train called an RDC (Rail Diesel Car). |
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Commuter railroads are more than track and passenger trains. Stations, with plenty of automobile parking, must be provided. In some communities, local history groups and garden clubs take responsibility for rehabilitating and beautifying commuter rail stations. This is the old Baltimore and Ohio Railroad station at Point of Rocks, Maryland, used by MARC on its major commuter rail line to Washington's suburbs northwest of the Nation's Capital. |
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A somewhat more modern commuter locomotive pulls into the station at Point of Rocks, Maryland. MARC also operates commuter trains between Baltimore, Md., and Washington, D.C. Similar to most state-operated light rail lines and commuter railroads, MARC receives part of the funding for its trains from the U.S Government. |
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A number of MARC trains run on rails belonging to a freight railroad. Here the host railroad, CSX Transportation, has loaned one of its diesel locomotives to MARC to help pull a heavy commuter train. |