From Jefferson, Baltimore Is Now One Train Away. Here's How the New MARC Run Works.

"I'm hoping it actually saves me the time that it's projected to save," Elie Eide told The Frederick News-Post on the first morning of MARC's new Brunswick-to-Baltimore train. Eide lives in Brunswick and attends the University of Baltimore. Until that Monday, his morning by rail took close to three hours, with a transfer at Washington Union Station.

His platform is one of the two closest to Jefferson. On September 28, 2026, the trip by rail from southwestern Frederick County to Baltimore stopped running through Washington. That change landed while the road route east is still under construction. State crews are lengthening the ramps where Jefferson Pike meets US 340, and the work runs until fall 2027. For Jefferson households heading east, the train has become a real option at the same moment the drive got slower.

One Train Each Way, and It Skips Union Station

The Maryland Transit Administration added one weekday round trip that joins the Brunswick Line to the Camden Line. Riders get from Montgomery County and Frederick County to Baltimore's Camden Station without changing trains in DC. According to Maryland Matters, MTA did this by shifting existing service, with no added annual operating cost.

The train also stops at Barnesville, Metropolitan Grove, Gaithersburg, and Kensington. On the evening run, Point of Rocks and Barnesville are drop-off only. You can get off the train there but not on. If you work in Baltimore and want to board at Camden, the 5:00 p.m. departure is the one you have.

How the Train Compares to the Drive and the Old Transfer

The launch-day riders the News-Post interviewed give three ways to compare the trip from the Brunswick area to Baltimore:

1. Driving. A Brunswick commuter usually drives about 90 minutes to the Inner Harbor.
2. The old rail route through DC. Eide reached the Brunswick station around 6:30 a.m. He got to Union Station by about 8:15, caught an 8:25 train north, and arrived at Baltimore Penn Station at 9:20. That is roughly two hours and fifty minutes from the platform.
3. Train 830. It leaves Brunswick at 6:00 and reaches Camden at 7:59, just under two hours with no transfer.

So the new train doesn't beat the 90-minute drive. It beats the old rail route by close to an hour, and it removes the transfer that made that route hard to rely on. Going one station farther east saves time too. Boarding at Point of Rocks at 6:11 cuts the ride to Camden to an hour and 48 minutes.

Baltimore isn't the only new direct destination. College Park and Laurel are now one-seat rides from Frederick County. Train 830 reaches College Park at 7:17 a.m. Lucas Richardson, a University of Maryland freshman, drove from Westminster to Brunswick on launch day so he could park there and take the train to campus. Before the new route, he had to drive to a Baltimore station where, he said, "I can't park my car there."

Maryland Matters reported MTA's estimates of how much the through service cuts from rides farther down the line. Silver Spring to Camden drops from 118 minutes to 57. Germantown to College Park drops from about 90 minutes to 46.

If You Ride to DC, Check Your Train's New Time

To fit in the new round trip, MTA changed the times of several existing Brunswick Line trains. If you ride to Washington, your train may now leave at a different time even though the new trains don't serve DC.

• Train 892 leaves Frederick at 6:22 a.m., 17 minutes later than before, and adds a stop at Washington Grove.
• Train 874 leaves Martinsburg at 5:40 a.m., 15 minutes later, and adds stops at Boyds and Garrett Park.
• Train 878 leaves Martinsburg at 6:15 a.m., 10 minutes earlier.
• Train 893 leaves Washington at 4:55 p.m., 25 minutes earlier, and adds a stop at Washington Grove.
• Train 879 leaves Washington at 5:20 p.m., 20 minutes earlier.

Morning Trains 870, 890, 872, 894, and 880 kept their times. So did afternoon Trains 873, 891, 875, 881, 895, 883, and the Friday-only 871. You can't ride Train 830 to Union Station. MTA suggests transferring to the Metro Red Line or Train 874 at Rockville or Silver Spring, or to the Green Line at College Park.

Getting to the Platform From Jefferson

MTA lists 740 parking spaces at the Brunswick station and 503 at Point of Rocks. The Brunswick station is at 100 S. Maple Ave.

Frederick County's TransIT Meet-the-MARC shuttle connects with Trains 830 and 831 at Point of Rocks. The News-Post reports that the shuttle picks up riders at four locations around the county in the morning and drops off at five in the evening. The county describes the Meet-the-MARC routes as weekday service to the downtown Frederick and Point of Rocks stations, with Monocacy served on request. All TransIT service is free right now. The county also runs a separate Brunswick/Jefferson Shuttle Monday through Saturday. Published sources don't say whether either shuttle times a Jefferson stop to the new trains. Check the county's shuttle schedules page before you plan a car-free morning around it.

The Fare Depends on Where You Buy

To launch the service, MTA is offering $2 off one-way tickets between Brunswick Line stations and College Park, Laurel, or Camden, plus discounts on weekly and monthly passes. These fares are sold through the CharmPass app and at station ticket machines. On launch day, the News-Post compared Brunswick-to-Camden prices in two places:

Since January 21, 2026, MARC's Student Saver program has given eligible high school, trade school, college, and university students 50% off one-way and monthly tickets. Eide said his student discount didn't work on the new route the first day. MTA spokesperson Paul Shepard told the News-Post the software issue had been fixed.

The Drive Onto US 340 Is in a Work Zone Until 2027

The road route east is where the change is slower. The Maryland State Highway Administration's $17.4 million project lengthens the acceleration ramps onto US 340 at MD 17 (Burkittsville Road), at MD 180 (Jefferson Pike), and from northbound US 15 onto eastbound US 340. SHA announced the project on September 23, 2025. District Engineer Andrew Radcliffe Jr. said the ramps were "first built about 60 years ago" and that today's traffic needs "more time and space to safely merge."

At Jefferson Pike, the merge lanes get several times longer:

• MD 180 to eastbound US 340: from about 235 feet to about 580 feet, plus a 300-foot taper.
• MD 180 to westbound US 340: from about 160 feet to about 820 feet, plus a 300-foot taper.

SHA's project page said the work was 40% complete as of September 2026. At MD 180, crews were installing utilities along the ramps and excavating to widen the median, and they planned to lay graded aggregate base later that month. Automated speed enforcement is running in all three work zones, where the limit is 55 mph. The normal limit is 65 mph. The contractor is Francis O. Day Company of Rockville. At MD 17, the same September update listed a planned shift of eastbound US 340 traffic to the left onto new pavement, but it didn't confirm a date. Expected completion is still fall 2027.

For at least another year, the drive east from Jefferson starts with a 55 mph work zone and speed cameras. Since September 28, the train east from Brunswick goes to Baltimore with no transfer, leaving at 6:00 a.m. and coming back at 7:05 p.m.

If your commute is changing, or you're deciding between Brunswick, Point of Rocks, or the drive for a new job in Baltimore or College Park, Adam Murphy is happy to talk through how these routes fit your schedule. Let's Connect.