State Approves Purchase of New MARC Trains

MARC commuters will enjoy some new trains within the next couple of years, after the Maryland Board of Public Works on Wednesday approved the purchase of 54 new multi-level rail cars.

The new cars will cost about $153 million, and will be built and delivered by Montreal-based Bombardier Transit Corp. Delivery is expected by the middle of 2013. The federal government will pay for about 80 percent of the cars, with the state picking up the remaining costs.

To accommodate the new cars, MARC will retire 38 older cars, including 12 single-level cars, resulting in a net increase of 16 cars.

"This purchase will help us with the reliability for the cars, but it will also increase capacity,” said Ralign Wells, the administrator of the Maryland Transit Administration.

The new cars would come in three varieties. They will come in three variations.  Fifteen new “cab cars” that will seat 127 passengers, 34 “trailer cars” with a capacity of 142 passengers, and five cars containing bathroom facilities and a capacity of 132 riders.

The cars will be spread out on trains among all the MARC lines, including the Penn Line, which stops in Odenton.

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley said the purchase will help the state achieve its goal of doubling transit ridership by 2020.