A Guide to Taking the MARC Train to Downtown D.C. from Western Loudoun County

If you live in Western Loudoun County and drive into downtown Washington, DC for work, there is an option available to you that can save time, money and wear and tear on your vehicle. The MARC train is easily accessible from the Northern parts of Western Loudoun. Residents of Northern Loudoun, including Lovettsville and Lucketts, are discovering the MARC train as a reliable alternative to driving, located a short drive away.

How to Get There

The MARC train stops that are accessible to Western Loudoun are Harpers Ferry, WV; Brunswick, MD; and Point of Rocks, MD. Located just across the Potomac River from Loudoun County, the drive to these train platforms is a lot shorter than your daily trips downtown. From personal experience, it regularly takes only 10 short minutes to get from downtown Lovettsville to the MARC lot. The stations offer free commuter parking right next to the train platforms. Purchase your round-trip tickets before you board the train. (Other payment options, such as the Transit Link Card, are available at Metro Commuter Stores in various locations throughout the DC area.)

Timing & Connections

As of October 6, 2008, the MARC train leaves Harpers Ferry at 5:51 and 6:56 AM, with arrivals at Union Station (DC) at 7:28 and 8:30 AM. The train leaves Brunswick at 5:00, 5:38, 6:02, 6:33, 7:07, and 7:40 AM. The same trains stop in Point of Rocks approximately 10 minutes later. The Brunswick and Point of Rocks trains arrive at Union Station at 6:25, 7:00, 7:28, 8:05, 8:30, and 9:12 AM - plenty of time to hop on METRO to the office!

In the afternoon, the trains headed for Brunswick, stopping in Point of Rocks, leave Union Station at 1:45, 3:35, 4:25, 4:55, 5:35, 6:00, and 7:15. The 4:55, 5:35 and 7:15 PM trains make the further stop at Harpers Ferry at 6:16, 7:09, and 8:42 PM consecutively. Trains arrive in Brunswick at 3:08, 4:58, 5:55, 6:05, 6:58, 7:29, and 8:32 PM. Visit the Maryland Transit Authority website for more information.

Commuters that work near the Blue and Orange lines of the METRO system may prefer to take MARC to the Silver Spring or Rockville stations and transfer to the Red Line rather than riding all the way in to Union Station. It's true that riding all the way in to Union Station, transferring to METRO, and later to another Line at Metro Center or L'Enfant Plaza, may save you several minutes of time. However, you stand to save a substantial amount of money by transferring to METRO before reaching the end of the line, especially if you purchase the Transit Link Card. In addition to serving as a monthly boarding pass, the Transit Link Card provides unlimited rides on METRO trains.

Fares, Passes, and Ways to Save

Fares vary depending on how far you travel. From Brunswick to Union Station, a one-way fare is $8 dollars (round trip is $16 dollars). The same train coming from Harpers Ferry is $9 dollars each way. Traveling from Brunswick to Rockville can save as much as $4 dollars per day, or $80 per month. Visit the Maryland Transit Authority website to view a chart listing current fares.

You can save by purchasing tickets in bulk. MARC's Ten Trip Ticket traveling from Brunswick to Union Station costs only $64 dollars. With the Ten Trip Ticket, you are essentially riding for free one day every two weeks. Additionally, the Unlimited Monthly Ticket could save you well over $100 dollars a month. A $200 dollar Monthly Ticket may well beat current gas prices in terms of affordability.

Check with your employer to see if there are commuter benefits available to you to help offset the cost of the tickets. For example, some employers offer a monthly MetroChek benefit. Unused Metrochek cards can be used to purchase MARC tickets. The new SmartBenefits plan allows you to use SmarTrip benefits to purchase tickets rather than lose the money on a SmarTrip card you don't use. The savings may be significant.

Riding the Train

Passengers on the MARC train tend to be very polite and keep to themselves. Generally, there is not a lot of talking on the train, as people are working, reading, or napping. Be sure to have your ticket or boarding pass handy when the conductor comes by.

MARC is a Scheduling Hassle: Why Bother?

Taking the MARC train to DC from Western Loudoun may seem like a hassle, and it's true that there will be an time of adjustment for anyone who choses this commute. MARC riders must get up earlier, and get home later than they might have otherwise if they had driven downtown. For many however, the benefits of MARC are worth it.

The trains are far more reliable than traffic. You'll know exactly what time you are arriving every day of the year. Interruptions to the MARC lines may seem to make headlines regularly, one of the reasons they top the newscasts is because service interruptions are so unusual. Plus, if the train is stopped, your MARC ticket can be used to transfer to Amtrack, METRO, buses, or other options made available at the time. The area's commuter services and jurisdictions work together to prevent riders from becoming stranded due to unforseen events. While it may take less time to drive to downtown DC than to take the train (given the Greenway and the Dulles Toll Road,) driving times often vary widely. You never know when there's going to be a bad wreck, pouring rain, road construction, or some other obstacle slowing you down. Only incidents of extreme weather and rare police activities slow down the train.

At first glance, MARC fares seem high. However, when you account for savings in gasoline, tolls and monthly parking fees downtown, the costs are often quite comparable -- especially once commuter benefits are factored in. Without the stress of having to do the driving yourself, you are free to relax, relieve stress, write letters, finish up work from the office, read, and sleep. At least one full-length novel has been written while commuting from Loudoun to downtown Washington. Why can't the next be yours?

Sources:

"Commuter Rail." CommuterPage.com.

"MARC Ticket by Mail/Transit Link Card." Maryland Transit Authority.

"One-Way Fares-Brunswick and Camden Lines." Maryland Transit Authority.

"Sign Up for a SmartBenefits Personal Account." Commuter Direct.com.