Virtual public meeting on train extension options for western Maryland set for March 8

Maryland transportation officials will hold a virtual stakeholder meeting on Wednesday, March 8 about the options they are considering to extend the MARC commuter train service further into western Maryland. Those who have made comments on the  Brunswick Line Study Technical Report were notified of the online meeting, which is set to run from 6:30 p.m to 7:30 p.m. on March 8. 

The Maryland Transit Administration and Maryland Department of Transportation has undertaken the Brunswick Line Study to determine options for future rail projects, ridership and possible extensions. One of the options listed as future actions include an extension of rail service to Hagerstown, or to Cumberland with a stop at a station in Hancock, W.Va.

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:

1. Hancock / Cumberland (CSX) – three round trip trains that serve Martinsburg, WV could be extended 23 miles west to Hancock along the CSX line.
2. 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.
3. 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).
4. 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.