http://bit.ly/3KO8BDZ and is located on the Brunswick Line Study page of MDOTThe meeting will be a Zoom meeting with registration required, needing your name, email address, and zip code.
The report lists up to four alignment options to extend the Brunswick Line service into Western Maryland “in order to comply with the Transit Safety and Investment Act (SB 199/HB 114).”
Those four rail alignments include:
- Hancock / Cumberland (CSX) – three round trip trains that serve Martinsburg, WV could be extended 23 miles west to Hancock along the CSX line.
- Hagerstown (W&W) – three round trip trains that serve Martinsburg, WV could be extended 23 miles north to Hagerstown along the Winchester & Western Railroad (W&W) track north from Martinsburg, WV.
- Hagerstown (NS) – three round trip trains that serve Brunswick, MD could be extended 13.4 miles along the CSX line to Shenandoah Junction (just west of Duffields Station) and then 22.3 miles north to Hagerstown along the Norfolk Southern Railway (NS).
- Hagerstown (B&O) – three round trip trains that serve Brunswick, MD could be extended 3.1 miles along the CSX line to Weverton and then approximately 19.1 miles along the former B&O Hagerstown Line and then approximately 5.3 miles to Hagerstown along an existing CSX line for a total of 27.5 miles.
Hancock town officials, and Berkeley Springs town and tourism officials have supported the idea of a commuter train extension to Hancock for years, and are continuing to look at the benefits it could bring to the area.
To read more about local discussion about the Hancock rail options, read Hancock News coverage of the issue here: https://www.thehancocknews.com/2023/02/14/maryland-train-study-exploring-rail-extension-options-ridership-trends-with-eye-toward-future/
