Environment Maryland's report on Maryland commuter rail

Report: On the Right Track: MARC Saves Energy and Protects the Environment and News Release. From the executive summary:

Each year, the Maryland Area Rail Commuter (MARC) system saves area travelers about 7.1 million gallons of gasoline - the same amount of fuel consumed by more than 12,000 cars annually.

Transportation is responsible for more than two-thirds of our nation’s oil consumption and nearly a third of our carbon dioxide emissions. To reduce pollution and our dependence on oil, we need transportation alternatives that use less energy.

MARC is a great example of how we can reduce energy consumption, curb our dependence on oil, and minimize pollution, while at the same time improving our quality of life, saving commuters money, and strengthening the economy.

More than half of all Maryland residents live within five miles of the MARC system, which traverses the state from West Virginia to the tip of the Chesapeake Bay. MARC strengthens the link between Baltimore and Washington D.C., allowing commuters to travel by rail between work and home from across the state along three lines:

• Penn: Service between Washington, D.C., and Perryville, MD;
• Camden: Service between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore; and
• Brunswick: Service between Washington, D.C., and Martinsburg, WV.

MARC ridership has increased steadily, averaging about 6 percent annual growth over the past decade.2 In 2009, riders made 8.1 million trips on MARC, or more than 30,000 trips per weekday.3 The current MARC Growth and Investment Plan projects significant expansion in the decades to come, potentially reaching more than 100,000 trips per day by 2035.

MARC Reduces Energy Consumption, Oil Dependence and Pollution

Travel on MARC trains uses less energy than travel via automobiles, helping to curb dependence on oil. Rail cars carry more passengers than automobiles. A single MARC train can carry hundreds of passengers, replacing hundreds of car trips and enabling highway traffic to flow more freely – reducing the amount of fuel wasted in traffic jams.

MARC’s energy efficiency, combined with avoided highway congestion and the role of MARC in bringing about less auto-dependent forms of development, results in a reduction of overall energy use by an amount equivalent to 7.1 million gallons of gasoline per year.

MARC also emits less global warming pollution than automobiles. Each year, MARC service averts 51,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide pollution.

Tripling ridership on MARC would reduce traffic congestion, encourage compact growth near rail stations, and provide an alternative to auto commuting, thereby reducing energy use and pollution.