View source for Penn Line

{{Short description|MARC commuter rail service from Washington, D.C., to Perryville, Maryland}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{About|the commuter rail line|model train manufacturer|Penn Line Manufacturing}}
{{Distinguish|Pennsylvania Line (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox rail line
| name                            = Penn Line
| color                           = {{rcr|MARC|Penn}}
| image                           = MP-36 17 (4861248909).jpg
| image_width                     = 300px
| caption                         = A Penn Line train at [[Odenton station]]
| type                            = [[Commuter rail]]
| system                          = [[MARC Train]]
| status                          = 
| locale                          = [[Washington, D.C.]], and [[Maryland]] suburbs east; [[Baltimore]] and suburbs northeast
| start                           = [[Washington Union Station|Washington, D.C. Union Station]]
| end                             = [[Perryville station|Perryville, MD]]
| stations                        = 13
| routes                          = 
| trainnumber                     = 400–499, 502–579, 610–698
| daily_ridership                 = 24,267<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                            = 1881
| close                           = 
| owner                           = [[Maryland Transit Administration]]
| operator                        = [[Amtrak]] (under contract)
| character                       = 
| stock                           = 
| linelength                      = {{cvt|77|mi}}
| tracklength                     = 
| tracks                          = 
| gauge                           = {{Track gauge|ussg|allk=on}}
| electrification                 = [[Overhead line]], [[Amtrak's 25&nbsp;Hz traction power system|12&nbsp;kV&nbsp;25&nbsp;Hz&nbsp;AC]]
| speed                           = {{cvt|44|mph}} ({{Tooltip|avg.|average speed (including stops)}})<!-- 77 mile journey takes 1.75 hours. --><br />{{cvt|125|mph}} ({{Tooltip|top|top speed}})
| elevation                       = 
| map                             = {{switcher
| {{maplink-road|from=Penn Line.map}} Penn Line highlighted in red <hr />
| Show interactive map
| {{Penn Line|inline=yes}}
| Show route diagram
}}
}}

The '''Penn Line''' is a [[MARC Train|MARC]] [[commuter rail|passenger rail service]] operating between [[Washington Union Station|Union Station]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], and [[Perryville station|Perryville, Maryland]], along the far southern leg of the [[Northeast Corridor]]; most trains terminate at [[Baltimore]]'s [[Pennsylvania Station (Baltimore)|Penn Station]]. It is MARC's only electrified line, though a majority of trains remain diesel powered. With trains operating at speeds of up to {{convert|125|mph}}, it is the fastest commuter rail line in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://trn.trains.com/railroads/2006/06/maryland-rail-commuter-marc |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150417215137/http://trn.trains.com/railroads/2006/06/maryland-rail-commuter-marc |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 17, 2015 |title=Maryland Rail Commuter (MARC) |first=Matt |last=Van Hattem |date=June 30, 2006 |publisher=Trains Magazine |access-date=February 16, 2010}} </ref> The service is operated by [[Amtrak]] under contract to the [[Maryland Transit Administration]]. MARC sets the schedules, owns most of the stations, and controls fares, while Amtrak owns and maintains the right-of-way, supplies employees to operate trains, and maintains the rolling stock. It is the busiest of MARC's three lines, with twice as many trains and riders as the [[Brunswick Line|Brunswick]] and [[Camden Line|Camden]] lines combined.

The Penn Line is the successor to commuter services between Washington and Baltimore provided by the [[Pennsylvania Railroad]], [[Penn Central Transportation Company|Penn Central]], and [[Conrail]] dating back as early as 1881. Additionally, Amtrak operated a commuter service named the ''[[Chesapeake (train)|Chesapeake]]'' from Washington to [[Suburban Station]] in [[Philadelphia]] between 1978 and 1983.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=43340 |title=1979 Amtrak Chesapeake timetable}}</ref>

In 1983, [[Maryland]], along with a number of other Northeastern states, took control of its commuter railroads. Amtrak, which had acquired the right-of-way from Penn Central, took over operation of the former Pennsylvania Railroad commuter line, which was rebranded as AMDOT (Amtrak/Maryland Department of Transportation).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://mtamaryland.com/about/transitprofiles/MARC_History.cfm |title=MARC History |website=MTA |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100117174532/http://mtamaryland.com/about/transitprofiles/MARC_History.cfm |archive-date=January 17, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The Amtrak ''Chesapeake'' was discontinued later in 1983 due to low ridership and redundancy with AMDOT; a year later, all commuter rail service in Maryland was merged under the MARC brand.

With frequent MARC and Amtrak service, the Washington-Baltimore section of the Northeast Corridor is one of the busiest rail lines in the United States.

==Rolling stock==
{{more sources|section|date=July 2022}}
{{see also|MARC Train#Rolling stock}}

[[File:MARC 438 (14833026066).jpg|thumb|left|Electric MARC [[HHP-8]] at Odenton station.]]
The Penn Line uses diesel as well as electric locomotives for powering trains. Most electric and rush hour diesel trains are 6-8 cars long, and are primarily made up of Kawasaki bi-levels. During the day, shorter 4-6 car MultiLevels or single level diesel trains from the [[Brunswick Line|Brunswick]] and [[Camden Line|Camden]] lines are used on the Penn Line. For the spring and summer months, weekend Penn Line trains also include a single-level Bike Car that is specially equipped to accommodate bicyclists.<ref name="weekend">{{Cite web |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/mta-website-staging/mta-website-staging/files/Routes+Schedules/marc_penn-washington_weekend.pdf |title=MARC Penn Line Weekend Schedule |date=March 2019 |publisher=MTA Maryland |access-date=May 10, 2019}}</ref>

All trains are operated in [[Push–pull train|push-pull]] configuration, with the [[Control car|cab-car]] end facing towards Washington.

All of the stations from [[Washington Union Station]] up to Penn Station, with the exception of [[West Baltimore station|West Baltimore]], have [[Railway platform height|high-level platforms]], while all of the subsequent stations up to [[Perryville station|Perryville]] have low-level platforms.

==Service==
MARC runs 58 Penn Line trains during a normal weekday. A majority of these trains (29 each day) operate along a {{convert|39|mi|km|abbr=on}} stretch between Union Station in Washington and {{marc|Baltimore}} in Baltimore. An additional five trains run between Union Station and {{marc|Martin State Airport}} in [[Middle River, Maryland]], while eleven trains run along the entire {{convert|77|mi|km|abbr=on}} corridor between Union Station and Perryville. A single morning train and a single evening train run between Perryville and Penn Station, and a single early morning train runs from Martin State Airport to Penn Station.<ref name="weekday">{{Cite web |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/mta-website-staging/mta-website-staging/files/Routes+Schedules/marc_penn-washington_weekday.pdf |title=MARC Penn Line Weekday Schedule |date=March 2019 |publisher=MTA Maryland |access-date=May 10, 2019}}</ref> Unlike MARC's other two lines, the Penn Line operates all throughout the day and well into the night rather than solely during peak hours.

On December 7, 2013, the Penn Line also began offering limited weekend service.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/2013/12/07/marc-train-weekend-service-begins/ |title=MARC train weekend service begins |last1=Sherman |first1=Natalie |date=December 7, 2013 |work=The Baltimore Sun |access-date=December 6, 2015 |last2=Wenger |first2=Yvonne}}</ref> Penn Line weekend service consists of 9 round trips on Saturday and 6 round trips on Sunday—primarily between Penn Station and Union Station. Several trains extend service to Martin State Airport, and all trains skip {{marc|Seabrook}}.<ref name="weekend" />

Beginning on December 13, 2014, a separate Bike Car was added to some weekend Penn Line trains.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-marc-bikes-weekend-20141211-story.html |title=MTA to introduce bike car to weekend MARC service |last=Rector |first=Kevin |date=December 12, 2014 |work=The Baltimore Sun |access-date=December 6, 2015}}</ref> Bike Cars are reconditioned [[Nippon Sharyo|Sumitomo/Nippon Sharyo]] MARC IIA single-level commuter railcars. One side of each car's interior is lined with bicycle racks which are arranged to secure 23 full-sized, non-collapsible bicycles, and the other side provides seating for 40 passengers.<ref name="all">{{Cite journal |journal=Mass Transit |title=MTA Rolls Out Bike Cars on All Weekend MARC Penn Line Trains |date= 2015 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |url= https://www.masstransitmag.com/rail/press-release/12132571/maryland-transit-administration-mta-mta-rolls-out-bike-cars-on-all-weekend-marc-penn-line-trains |access-date=June 28, 2019}}</ref> The Bike Car program was expanded during 2015 to include all weekend trains.<ref name="all" /> There is no extra charge for using the Bike Car, which is available on a first-come, first-served basis.  Beginning in 2016, MARC began installing bike racks on its bi-level train cars and some of its single-level cars.  Weekday service was intended to begin in summer 2018, however, this was delayed several times.  Eventually, 35 Penn Line railcars had full-sized bicycle racks installed, and weekday use of the bike racks on the MARC Penn line officially began on January 21, 2019.<ref>{{Cite press release |title= MARC Penn Line Riders Can Now Bring Full-Size Bicycles On Most Rush-Hour Weekday Trains |date= February 19, 2019 |publisher=MTA Maryland |url= https://www.mta.maryland.gov/articles/229 |access-date=June 28, 2019}}</ref> These railcars are available on most weekday rush-hour Penn Line trains and on all weekend trains.  As with the former Bike Cars, these services are first-come, first served with no additional charge, and the bicyclist must make sure to be able to access the platform of the station they desire.

Amtrak's ''[[Acela]]'', ''[[Northeast Regional]]'', and other long-distance trains share tracks along the whole of the Penn Line. Washington Union and Baltimore Penn are the second and eighth busiest Amtrak stations in the country, respectively. Amtrak connections are also available at {{marc|Aberdeen}}, {{marc|BWI Airport}}, and {{marc|New Carrollton}}. MARC passengers with monthly and weekly tickets can ride select Amtrak ''Northeast Regional'' trains during the week only, as part of their cross-honoring agreement.<ref name="weekday" /> Connections are also available to the Washington Metro's [[Orange Line (Washington Metro)|Orange Line]] at New Carrollton, [[Red Line (Washington Metro)|Red Line]] at Washington Union Station, and to the [[Baltimore Light RailLink]] at Baltimore Penn Station, though this line has been closed since 2020 due to renovation work at Penn Station.<ref name="weekday" />

The MTA has plans to extend the Penn Line to [[Newark station (Delaware)|Newark station]] in [[Delaware]] via a revived [[Elkton station]] to connect with the [[Wilmington/Newark Line]] of [[SEPTA]], or even further north to [[30th Street Station]] in [[Philadelphia]]. The Pennsylvania Railroad's commuter route had run to Philadelphia until the early 1960s.

The MTA currently funds a local bus connection between Newark and Baltimore, with a transfer at Elkton.<ref name="minutes" /> In 2020, Delaware State Representative [[Edward Osienski]] and State Senator [[Stephanie Hansen]] cosponsored a resolution to the [[Delaware General Assembly]] that would add commuter rail service between Newark and Perryville, involving an extension of MARC service to connect with SEPTA at Newark. This resolution will be introduced into the Delaware General Assembly in 2021.<ref>{{cite news|last=Irizarry|first=Joe|title=Lawmakers seek to link regional rail at new Newark train station|publisher=Delaware Public Media|date=April 8, 2020|url=https://www.delawarepublic.org/post/lawmakers-seek-link-regional-rail-new-newark-train-station|access-date=April 18, 2020}}</ref>{{update needed|date=November 2022}}

Longer-term plans include construction of new track and extending the line past Washington Union Station to [[L'Enfant Plaza station]] in Washington and from there into [[northern Virginia]].<ref name="minutes">{{Cite web |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/mta-website-staging/mta-website-staging/files/Community/MARCRAC_Minutes_20178-01-18.pdf |title=MARC Riders Advisory Council Meeting Summary Minutes |website=MTA Maryland |date=January 18, 2018 |access-date=June 2, 2019}}</ref> The [[Purple Line (Maryland)|Purple Line]] light rail system (slated to open in 2027) will connect to all three MARC lines; the transfer to the Penn Line will be at New Carrollton.<ref>{{cite news |last=Shaver |first=Katherine |date=2022-01-26 |title=Md. board approves $3.4 billion contract to complete Purple Line |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2022/01/26/purple-line-contract-maryland/}}</ref>

==Stations==
{{update section|date=January 2020}}
The following stations are served by Penn Line trains; not all trains stop at all stations.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
!State
!Town/City
![[Railway milepost|Miles (km)]] from [[Washington Union Station|Union Station]]
!Station
!Connections
|-
|[[District of Columbia|DC]]||[[Washington, D.C.|Washington]]
|0.0&nbsp;mi (0&nbsp;km)||{{marc|Washington}}||{{rint|us|amtrak}} [[Amtrak]]: {{lnl|Amtrak|Acela}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Cardinal}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Carolinian}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Crescent}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Floridian}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Northeast Regional}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Palmetto}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Silver Meteor}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Vermonter}}, [[Amtrak Thruway]] to [[Charlottesville, Virginia|Charlottesville]]<br/>{{rint|baltimore|marc}} [[MARC Train|MARC]]: {{rcb|MARC|Brunswick|inline=square}}, {{rcb|MARC|Camden|inline=square}}<br>{{Rint|vre}} [[Virginia Railway Express|VRE]]: {{rcb|VRE|Fredericksburg|inline=square}}, {{rcb|VRE|Manassas|inline=square}}<br/>{{Rint|washington|metro}} [[Washington Metro|Metrorail]]: {{rint|washington|red}} [[Red Line (Washington Metro)|Red Line]]<br/>{{rint|washington|streetcar}} [[DC Streetcar]]: [[H Street/Benning Road Line]]<br/>{{rint|bus|1}} [[Metrobus (Washington, D.C.)|Metrobus]], [[MTA Maryland bus service|MTA Maryland]], [[Loudoun County Transit]], [[OmniRide]]<br/>{{rint|bus}} Intercity bus: {{rint|us|greyhound}} [[Greyhound Lines|Greyhound]], {{rint|us|megabus}} [[Megabus (North America)|Megabus]], [[BoltBus]], [[BestBus]], [[Peter Pan Bus Lines|Peter Pan]], [[OurBus]]
|-
|rowspan=12|[[Maryland|MD]]||[[New Carrollton, Maryland|New Carrollton]]
|8.7&nbsp;mi (14&nbsp;km)||{{marc|New Carrollton}}||{{rint|us|amtrak}} [[Amtrak]]: {{lnl|Amtrak|Northeast Regional}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Palmetto}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Vermonter}}<br>{{Rint|washington|metro}} [[Washington Metro|Metrorail]]: {{rint|washington|orange}} [[Orange Line (Washington Metro)|Orange Line]]<br/>{{Rint|bus|1}} [[Metrobus (Washington, D.C.)|Metrobus]], [[TheBus (Prince George's County)|TheBus]]
|-
|[[Seabrook, Maryland|Seabrook]]
|11&nbsp;mi (17.7&nbsp;km)||{{marc|Seabrook}}||
|-
|[[Bowie, Maryland|Bowie]]
|16.3&nbsp;mi (26.2&nbsp;km)||{{marc|Bowie State}}||
|-
|[[Odenton, Maryland|Odenton]]
|22.1&nbsp;mi (35.5&nbsp;km)||{{marc|Odenton}}||{{Rint|bus|1}} Anne Arundel County Bus
|-
|[[Hanover, Maryland|Hanover]]
|29.4&nbsp;mi (47.3&nbsp;km)||{{marc|BWI Airport}}||{{Rail-interchange|us|amtrak}} [[Amtrak]]: {{lnl|Amtrak|Acela}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Crescent}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Northeast Regional}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Palmetto}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Vermonter}}<br/>{{rint|bus|1}} [[BWI Marshall Airport Shuttle|Shuttle]] to {{rint|air}} [[Baltimore/Washington International Airport]]<br/>{{rint|bus|1}} [[MTA Maryland bus service|MTA Maryland]], [[University of Maryland Baltimore County|UMBC Transit]]
|-
|[[Halethorpe, Maryland|Halethorpe]]
|32.4&nbsp;mi (52.1&nbsp;km)||{{marc|Halethorpe}}||{{Rint|bus|1|link=MTA Maryland bus routes}} [[MTA Maryland bus service|MTA Maryland]], [[University of Maryland, Baltimore County|UMBC Transit]]
|-
|rowspan="2" |[[Baltimore]]
|37.2&nbsp;mi (59.8&nbsp;km)||{{marc|West Baltimore}}||{{Rint|bus|1|link=MTA Maryland bus routes}} [[MTA Maryland bus service|MTA Maryland]]
|-
|40&nbsp;mi (64.6&nbsp;km)
|{{marc|Baltimore}}||{{Rail-interchange|us|amtrak}} [[Amtrak]]: {{lnl|Amtrak|Acela}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Cardinal}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Carolinian}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Crescent}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Northeast Regional}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Palmetto}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Silver Meteor}}, {{lnl|Amtrak|Vermonter}}<br>{{Rint|baltimore|raillink}} [[Baltimore Light RailLink]]<br>{{Rint|bus|1}} [[MTA Maryland bus service|MTA Maryland]], [[Charm City Circulator]]
|-
|[[Middle River, Maryland|Middle River]]
|51.7&nbsp;mi (83.2&nbsp;km)||{{marc|Martin State Airport}}||{{Rint|air|link=Martin State Airport}} [[Martin State Airport]]<br>{{Rint|bus|1|link=MTA Maryland bus routes}} [[MTA Maryland bus service|MTA Maryland]]
|-
|[[Edgewood, Maryland|Edgewood]]
|60.6&nbsp;mi (97.5&nbsp;km)||{{marc|Edgewood}}||
|-
|[[Aberdeen, Maryland|Aberdeen]]
|70.2&nbsp;mi (113&nbsp;km)||{{marc|Aberdeen}}||{{Rail-interchange|us|amtrak}} [[Amtrak]]: {{lnl|Amtrak|Northeast Regional}}<br>{{Rint|bus|1|link=Hartford Transit}} [[Harford Transit]]
|-
|[[Perryville, Maryland|Perryville]]
|76.2&nbsp;mi (122.6&nbsp;km)||{{marc|Perryville}}
|{{Rint|bus|1|link=Cecil Transit}} [[Cecil Transit]]
|}

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Attached KML|display=title,inline}}
{{GeoGroup}}
*[https://mta.maryland.gov/marc-train MTA MARC Train]

{{Northeast Corridor navbox}}
{{Amtrak}}
{{MTA Maryland}}
{{MARC Train}}
{{Baltimore Transit}}
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{{Higher-speed rail}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Penn Line (MARC)}}
[[Category:MARC Train]]
[[Category:Penn Line| ]]
[[Category:Maryland railroads]]
[[Category:Washington, D.C., railroads]]
[[Category:Passenger rail transportation in Maryland]]
[[Category:Passenger rail transportation in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Electric railways in Maryland]]
[[Category:Electric railways in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Transportation in Baltimore]]
[[Category:Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad lines]]
[[Category:1834 establishments in Maryland]]
[[Category:1834 establishments in Washington, D.C.]]