Maryland

State Details

See Wikipedia; also see United States for information relating to the country as a whole, and the national operator Amtrak.

Maps

Maryland is covered by the SPV "North America Railroad Atlas" volume Northeast. This is out of print.

The Northeast Corridor

This is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston in the north to Washington, D.C., in the south. Tracks are standard gauge (4 ft 8 1/2 in (1435mm) and the overhead electrification is 25 kV AC at 60 Hz (Boston–New Haven), 12.5 kV AC at 60 Hz (New Haven–New York) and 12 kV AC at 25 Hz (New York–Washington). Some trains reach 150 mph (240 km/h) on certain sections.
The corridor is used by many Amtrak trains, including the high-speed Acela intercity trains, and several long-distance trains. Most of the corridor also has frequent commuter rail service, operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), CT Rail, Metro-North Railroad, Long Island Rail Road, New Jersey Transit, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) and Maryland Area Rail Commuter (MARC). Ownership of the NEC is shown on this map
The Northeast Corridor leaves Washington D.C. and crosses Maryland from southwest to northeast before entering Delaware.

Rail Operators

• AMTRAK - Northeast Corridor
  • Acela - Operates high-speed, limited stop trains Boston - New Haven - New York - Philadelphia - Baltimore - Washington D.C. In Maryland Acela services only call at Baltimore Penn and Baltimore Thurgood Marshall Airport.
  • AMTRAK Northeast Regional - In Maryland stations are New Carrollton, Baltimore Thurgood Marshall Airport, Baltimore Penn and Aberdeen.
• AMTRAK - Long Distance Services
  • Long distance trains on the Northeast corridor include the Cardinal, Carolinian, Crescent,Palmetto, Silver Meteor,Silver Star/Floridian and Vermonter. Station calls include New Carrolton, Baltimore BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport, Baltimore Penn and Aberdeen.
  • The Capitol Limited/Floridian runs from Washington D.C. calling at Rockville, MA before entering West Virginia en route to Chicago.
• - Maryland Area Rail Commuter (MARC) - MARC is administered by the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA). There are three routes:
  • Penn Line - This runs on the Northeast Corridor from Washington Union Station to Baltimore Penn and Perryville.
  • Brunswick line - This runs from Washington Union Station to Martinsburg (same route as The Capitol Limited/Floridian) and also the branch from Point of Rocks to Frederick.
  • Camden line - Washington Union Station to Camden Station (Baltimore)

Tourist Lines

• Baltimore Streetcar Museum - The museum operate tourist services on approximately 0.6 miles (0.96km) of track along the Falls Road in Baltimore. The gauges is an unusual 5 ft 4+1⁄2 in (1,638 mm). Electrification is by a 570-600V DC trolley wire.
• National Capitol Trolley Museum - Trolleys run from the museum (located in Colesville) for one mile (1.6 km) to Fish Hook loop. Tracks are 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge and the electrification is 600 Volts DC overhead.
• Western Maryland Scenic Railroad - Based in Cumberland the railroad run over 16 mi (26 km) of ex-Western Maryland Railway tracks between Cumberland and Frostburg.
• Walkersville Southern Railroad - This is a 6.72 mile (11 km) heritage railway in Walkersville, Maryland running from MP 60.0 south of Woodsboro to MP 66.72 just north of the intersection of Route 26 and U.S. Route 15 near Frederick.
• Maryland and Delaware Railroad Company - Normally only freight operations, but see Obscure or Sparse Passenger Services MD1.

Metro and light rail systems

• Baltimore Metro SubwayLink - A 15.4 mile (24.8 km) rapid transit line serving Baltimore, Maryland, and its northwestern suburbs, operated by the Maryland Transit Administration. The line is 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) and electrified third rail at 700V DC.
• Baltimore Light RailLink - This is a 30 mile (48.3 km) light rail system serving Baltimore and its northern and southern suburbs. It is operated by the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA Maryland). The gauge is 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) and electrification is 750V DC overhead.

Recent and Future Changes

Recent Changes

None

Future Changes

The Purple Line is a 16.2-mile (26.1 km) light rail line being built to link several Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C.: Bethesda, Silver Spring, College Park, and New Carrollton. It is planned to open in late 2027.

Obscure or Sparse Passenger Services

See USA - Lines with Obscure or Sparse passenger services - Maryland.