View source for Brunswick Line

{{Short description|MARC commuter rail line in Maryland, West Virginia and Washington, D.C.}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox rail line
| name                            = Brunswick Line
| color                           = {{rcr|MARC|Brunswick}}
| image                           = MARC Train Brunswick Line Kensington.jpg
| caption                         = A northbound MARC train on the Brunswick Line, after having departed [[Kensington station (Maryland)|Kensington Station]].
| type                            = [[Commuter rail]]
| system                          = [[MARC Train]]
| locale                          = [[Washington D.C.]] and northern [[Maryland]] suburbs; [[West Virginia]]
| start                           = [[Washington Union Station]]
| end                             = [[Martinsburg station|Martinsburg, WV]]
| stations                        = 19
| trainnumber                     = 870–895
| daily_ridership                 = 7,497 (June 2017)<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://opendata.maryland.gov/dataset/GOPI-Resource-MM-MTA-Average-Weekday-Ridership/t2jw-tiu2 |title=MTA Average Weekday Ridership – by Month |date=June 2017 |website=Maryland Open Data Portal |access-date=June 2, 2019}}</ref>
| open                            = 1873
| owner                           = [[CSX Transportation]] (tracks, except Frederick Branch<ref>{{cite web |last1=Transit Administration |first1=Maryland |title=2019 MARC Cornerstone Plan |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/mta-website-staging/mta-website-staging/files/Transit%20Projects/Cornerstone/MCP_MARC.pdf |website=AWS |publisher=MDOT |access-date=26 September 2024}}</ref>)
| operator                        = [[Alstom]]/[[Maryland Transit Administration]]
| stock                           = [[Siemens Charger]], [[MPI MPXpress]] MP36PH-3C, [[Bombardier Multilevel]]
| linelength                      = {{cvt|74|mi}}
| tracks                          = 2-5
| gauge                           = {{track gauge|ussg|allk=on}}
| speed                           = {{cvt|34|mph}} ({{Tooltip|avg.|average speed (including stops)}})<!-- 74 mile journey takes 2 hours, 10 minutes. -->
| map                             = {{switcher
| {{maplink-road|from=Brunswick Line.map}} Brunswick Line highlighted in yellow <hr />
| Show interactive map
| {{Brunswick Line|inline=yes}}
| Show route diagram
}}
}}
[[File:MARCtrainGaithersburgmd.jpg|thumb|A [[MARC Train|MARC]] train stopped at [[Gaithersburg, Maryland|Gaithersburg]] station in Montgomery County MD along the Brunswick Line. ]]
The '''Brunswick Line''' is a [[MARC Train|MARC]] [[commuter rail]] line between [[Washington, D.C.]], and [[Martinsburg, West Virginia]], with a branch to [[Frederick, Maryland]]. It primarily serves the northern and western suburbs of Washington. The line, MARC's second longest at 74 miles, is operated under contract to MARC by [[Alstom]] and runs on [[CSX Corporation|CSX]]-owned track, including the [[Metropolitan Subdivision|Metropolitan]], [[Old Main Line Subdivision|Old Main Line]], and [[Cumberland Subdivision|Cumberland]] subdivisions. It is the successor to commuter services provided by the [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad]] (B&O), which date to the mid-19th century.

== History ==
The B&O had long operated commuter trains between Washington and Martinsburg, and continued to do so after the start of [[Amtrak]] on May 1, 1971. Maryland began subsidizing the trains in 1974 and, in 1975, assumed full responsibility for the subsidy and equipment replacement. West Virginia followed suit soon after, guaranteeing service to its stations.<ref name="wv-commuter">{{cite web | title=West Virginia State Rail Plan: Maryland Area Regional Commuter Service | author=West Virginia Department of Transportation, State Rail Authority | date=March 12, 2013 | access-date=October 5, 2014 | url=http://www.westvirginiarailplan.com/Libraries/project_information/WV_SRP_-_Maryland_Area_Regional_Commuter_Service.sflb.ashx | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161007114256/http://www.westvirginiarailplan.com/Libraries/project_information/WV_SRP_-_Maryland_Area_Regional_Commuter_Service.sflb.ashx | archive-date=2016-10-07 | url-status=usurped }}</ref>

In 1983, as part of a federal requirement for [[Conrail]] (which operated the [[Penn Line]] service) to end its operation of commuter railroads on behalf of states, the state government of Maryland took control of its commuter railroads, organizing them under the "MARC" (Maryland Area Rail Commuter) service name.<ref>[http://mtamaryland.com/about/transitprofiles/MARC_History.cfm MARC History on MTA website] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090423150353/http://mtamaryland.com/about/transitprofiles/MARC_History.cfm |date=April 23, 2009 }}</ref>  Trains on the Brunswick Line were operated under contract by [[CSX Transportation]], successor to the B&O. Brunswick Line service was augmented in 1986 when Amtrak transferred its Washington–Martinsburg ''[[Blue Ridge (train)|Blue Ridge]]'' to MARC after agreeing to subsidize the train for five years.<ref name="wv-commuter" />

In May 2010, MARC announced that it planned to find a new operator for the Brunswick and [[Camden Line]]s after CSX announced its desire to discontinue operation of commuter trains.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2010/06/marc-to-seek-new-operator-for-csx-run-routes|title=MARC to seek new operator for CSX-run routes|publisher=Trains Magazine|date=14 June 2010|access-date=14 June 2010|url-access=subscription|archive-date=26 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126212256/https://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2010/06/marc-to-seek-new-operator-for-csx-run-routes|url-status=dead}}</ref> MARC selected Bombardier Transportation Services USA Corporation (BTS) (a subsidiary of the [[Canada|Canadian]] company [[Bombardier Transportation]]) to replace CSX, and BTS assumed operations and maintenance of the lines on June 29, 2013. CSX continues to dispatch the lines.<ref name="Weir">{{cite news|last=Weir|first=Kytja|title=Bombardier wins $204m MARC commuter train contract|url=http://washingtonexaminer.com/bombardier-wins-204m-marc-commuter-train-contract/article/2511058#.UI1WIWe_Msc|access-date=28 October 2012|newspaper=[[The Washington Examiner]]|date=17 October 2012}}</ref>

== Rolling stock ==
{{See also|MARC Train#Rolling stock}}
Brunswick Line trains typically have four to six single- or [[Bilevel rail car|bilevel]] passenger cars and one or two [[diesel locomotive]]s. The trains operate in a [[Push–pull train|push-pull]] configuration, with the cab car typically facing Washington.

Before they were replaced by new [[Bombardier MultiLevel Coach|Bombardier Multilevel II]] cars, MARC's ex-[[Metra]] [[Pullman (car or coach)|Pullman]] Gallery cars were used exclusively on the Brunswick Line, which is the only MARC line with all [[Railway platform height|low-level platforms]] (except the [[Frederick Branch (Baltimore and Ohio Railroad)|Frederick Branch]], which has a high-level platform at [[Monocacy station]]).

== Service ==
The Brunswick Line has service only on weekdays,<ref name="schedule">{{cite web |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/mta-website-staging/mta-website-staging/files/Routes+Schedules/marc_brunswick-washington.pdf |format=PDF |title=Brunswick Line Schedule |publisher=MTA Maryland |date=March 4, 2019 |access-date=May 10, 2019}}</ref> with nine trains in each direction during morning and evening rush hour, and an additional train outbound from Union Station on Fridays. Three of the nine trains in each direction serve the Frederick branch. Of the remainder, three inbound and three outbound serve Martinsburg, while the remainder originate or terminate at [[Brunswick station (Maryland)|Brunswick]]. A bus runs between Frederick and Point of Rocks, meeting trains that do not serve the Frederick Branch.<ref name="schedule" />

Union Station is a stop on Amtrak's {{lnl|Amtrak|Floridian}} which shares much of the Brunswick Line's route; {{marc|Martinsburg}}, {{marc|Harpers Ferry}}, and {{marc|Rockville}} are also served by the ''Floridian''. Connections to the [[Washington Metro]]'s [[Red Line (Washington Metro)|Red Line]] are available at Rockville, {{marc|Silver Spring}}, and Union Station.

== Stations ==
The Brunswick Line serves the following stations. Not all trains stop at all stations.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
!class=unsortable|State
!Town/City
!Station
!Connections
|-
|[[District of Columbia|DC]]||[[Washington, D.C.|Washington]]||{{marc|Washington}}||{{ric|Amtrak|name=y}}: {{lnl|Amtrak|Acela}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Cardinal}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Floridian}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Carolinian}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Crescent}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Northeast Regional}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Palmetto}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Silver Meteor}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Vermonter}}, [[Amtrak Thruway|Thruway Bus]] to [[Charlottesville, Virginia]]<br />{{rint|washington|metro}} [[Washington Metro|Metrorail]]: {{ric|Washington Metro|Red|name=y}}<br />{{rint|vre}} [[Virginia Railway Express|VRE]]: {{rcb|VRE|Manassas|inline=square}}, {{rcb|VRE|Fredericksburg|inline=square}}<br />{{ric|MARC|name=y}}: {{rcb|MARC|Camden|inline=square}}, {{rcb|MARC|Penn|inline=square}}<br />{{bus icon}} [[Metrobus (Washington, D.C.)|Metrobus]], [[Loudoun County Transit]], [[OmniRide]], [[MTA Maryland commuter buses|MTA Commuter Bus]]
|-
|rowspan=17|[[Maryland|MD]]||[[Silver Spring, Maryland|Silver Spring]]||{{marc|Silver Spring}}||{{rint|washington|metro}} [[Washington Metro|Metrorail]]: {{ric|Washington Metro|Red|name=y}}<br/>{{rint|bus|brt}} [[Flash BRT]]: Blue Line, Orange Line<br />{{bus icon}} [[Metrobus (Washington, D.C.)|Metrobus]], [[Ride On (bus)|Ride On]], [[MTA Maryland commuter buses|MTA Commuter Bus]]
|-
|[[Kensington, Maryland|Kensington]]||{{marc|Kensington}}||{{bus icon}} [[Ride On (bus)|Ride On]]
|-
|[[Garrett Park, Maryland|Garrett Park]]||{{marc|Garrett Park}}||{{bus icon}} [[Ride On (bus)|Ride On]]
|-
|[[Rockville, Maryland|Rockville]]||{{marc|Rockville}}||{{ric|Amtrak|name=y}}: {{lnl|Amtrak|Floridian}}<br />{{rint|washington|metro}} [[Washington Metro|Metrorail]]: {{ric|Washington Metro|Red|name=y}}<br />{{bus icon}} [[Metrobus (Washington, D.C.)|Metrobus]], [[Ride On (bus)|Ride On]]
|-
|[[Washington Grove, Maryland|Washington Grove]]||{{marc|Washington Grove}}||{{bus icon}} [[Ride On (bus)|Ride On]]
|-
|rowspan=2|[[Gaithersburg, Maryland|Gaithersburg]]||{{marc|Gaithersburg}}||{{bus icon}} [[Ride On (bus)|Ride On]]
|-
|{{marc|Metropolitan Grove}}||{{bus icon}} [[Ride On (bus)|Ride On]]
|-
|[[Germantown, Maryland|Germantown]]||{{marc|Germantown}}||{{bus icon}} [[Ride On (bus)|Ride On]]
|-
|[[Boyds, Maryland|Boyds]]||{{marc|Boyds}}<ref name="2006 Station Closures">Closure of station due to low ridership was proposed in an early-2006 MARC plan that was ultimately canceled.</ref>||
|-
|[[Barnesville, Maryland|Barnesville]]||{{marc|Barnesville}}||
|-
|[[Dickerson, Maryland|Dickerson]]||{{marc|Dickerson}}<ref name="2006 Station Closures" />
|
|-
|colspan=3 |{{center|'''''[[Frederick Branch (Baltimore and Ohio Railroad)|Frederick Branch]]:'''''}}
|-
|rowspan=2|[[Frederick, Maryland|Frederick]]||{{marc|Monocacy}}||{{bus icon}} [[TransIT]], [[MTA Maryland commuter buses|MTA Commuter Bus]]
|-
|{{marc|Frederick}}||{{bus icon}} [[TransIT]], [[MTA Maryland commuter buses|MTA Commuter Bus]]
|-
|colspan=3 style="text-align:center;" |'''''Brunswick Line:'''''
|-
|[[Point of Rocks, Maryland|Point of Rocks]]||{{marc|Point of Rocks}}||{{rint|bus|1}} [[TransIT]]
|-
|[[Brunswick, Maryland|Brunswick]]||{{marc|Brunswick}}||
|-
|rowspan=3|[[West Virginia|WV]]||[[Harpers Ferry, West Virginia|Harpers Ferry]]||{{marc|Harpers Ferry}}||{{ric|Amtrak|name=y}}: {{lnl|Amtrak|Floridian}}
|-
|[[Duffields, West Virginia|Duffields]]||{{marc|Duffields}}||
|-
|[[Martinsburg, West Virginia|Martinsburg]]||{{marc|Martinsburg}}||{{ric|Amtrak|name=y}}: {{lnl|Amtrak|Floridian}}
|}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Attached KML |display=title,inline}}

{{MTA Maryland}}
{{MARC Train}}
{{Transit In DC}}

[[Category:Brunswick Line| ]]
[[Category:Martinsburg, West Virginia]]
[[Category:MARC Train]]
[[Category:Maryland railroads]]
[[Category:Passenger rail transportation in Maryland]]
[[Category:Passenger rail transportation in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Passenger rail transportation in West Virginia]]
[[Category:Washington, D.C., railroads]]
[[Category:West Virginia railroads]]