Only commuter rail system in the US with top speed of 125 MPH. Achieved between Martin Airport and Perryville. Today's consist (8/19/15) is 6 Kawasaki Bilevels powered by HHP-8 4912. Enjoy the ride =)
This makes MARC one of the only high-speed services in the United States, along with the Northeast Regional, the Keystone Service, the Silver Star, the Vermonter and the Acela Express.
I still don’t understand why Marc almost got rid of the HHP-8’s and replace them with diesels even though everyone is so worried about global warming.. seems like a step in the wrong direction if you ask me. I’m still happy that Marc decided to keep them
AMTRAK/MARC/WMATA New Carrolton Station is a major station - more for MARC and WMATA because of the AMTRAK connection (WMATA's Orange Line ends here - the WMATA Green Line ends one station east in Greenbelt). The IRS and United States Magistrate - and the United States District Court for Southern Maryland - are all here as well. New Carrolton is a station I have used for AMTRAK since 1978 - because it was closer to my home in Charles County (at the time) than Union Station; rather oddly, because WMATA no longer serves Accokeek, MD with bus service - but MTA does with a commuter bus line - that goes to Union Station - Union Station is the more sensible place to take the train to or from these days, not New Carrolton.
The two underpasses after New Carolton Station are Interstate 495 and MD 450 (Annapolis Road) - MD 564 (Lanhan-Severn Road, remains to the left of the tracks and visible through the foliage to the next MARC stop at Bowie. (In addition to the MARC Station, Bowie is the northern end of the CSX Pope's Creek Subdivision, which serves Southern Maryland.)
I rode these trains in 2000 between Union Station and Baltimore's Penn Station - the first time I had ridden MARC, in fact (though not my first time on this line - as I rode AMTRAK to Philadelphia in 1978-80). At the time, I did not have a phone - and therefore had zero interest in the eye-sky view of the upper level of MARC's bi-level train cars. This has markedly changed - and thus I am hoping to repeat my Independence Week 2000 jaunt to Baltimore Inner Harbor/Harborplace (with my mom this time). Both of us have been to Harborplace - but not together - and she's never taken the train. Harborplace is served by multiple buses from Penn Station - and it DOES have that "rooftop" dining experience on non-rainy days (which is what I simply enjoyed when I went - fattening up on pizza while drinking an Electric Lemonade (it is what it sounds like - a blue-tinted margarita) while enjoying my view of the sailing ship "Constitution" - which is moored below. Other than the food choice, you can't really knock the view.
@@Wingnutcaseman thats also true as well but when they're deadheading between Newark & Trenton/Trenton & Newark they usually hit 110mph on tracks 2 & 3. if they're on tracks 1 & 4 they usually do 100-105
why is marc so much faster than njt... njt sucks then compared to marc. but at least njt is faster than mta and metro north. cause i think metro north and lirr max speed is 55.
@@FanRailer MARC owns/leases the trains - but AMTRAK provides the crews. (In fact, MARC's leases are from AMTRAK; it leases very few - if any - trains itself.) As far as I know, only SEPTA and NJT do any direct purchases as far as NEC commuter rail - which is why they have different trainsets from the rest of the operators.
@@PGHammer21Athe only reason why we all know Marc is one the of the only commuter rail that can go 125 MPH making it the fastest commuter is because of their AEM-7 and HHP8 but their chargers arrived so they might get rid of electric locomotives on Marc
