Last month, Metro started allowing bikes on during rush hour, and this month MARC has - finally - started allowing full-sized bikes on the Penn line (the one that goes to BWI on the way to Baltimore).
It took a long time to get to this point, and it's not clear why. MARC announced the change in 2016 with plans to start in 2017. Racks were placed in trains as far back as October of 2017 and at that time they said they wouldn't be available until summer of 2018, but it took a little longer than that.
With the installation of new bike racks on 35 railcars, MARC Train riders now can transport full-size bicycles on the majority of weekday rush-hour Penn Line trains. Previously, riders only have been able to bring collapsible/folding bikes on trains.
The new full-size bike racks are available on a first-come, first-served basis and continue MDOT MTA’s efforts to expand bicycle access across Maryland, including the addition of bicycle parking at 11 MARC stations and nine Metro SubwayLink stations. MDOT MTA has worked closely with local jurisdictions to enhance bicycle connections to transit facilities.
MARC riders should check the schedule for the bicycle symbol to determine which trains have bike racks installed. At the station, passengers with full-size bicycles can identify which railcar to board by looking for an illuminated green light on the outside of the car. Passengers unable to find an available bike rack will need to wait for the next train with bike racks. Collapsible/folding bikes continue to be accepted on all MARC trains.
Bikes have been allowed on weekend trains since 2014. VRE also allows full-sized bikes on certain trains.
No word on when or if they might allow them on the Camden or Brunswick lines.
MARC has been saying for the past several years that they intend to add cars with bike hanging space (for full sized bikes) to all of their trains on the Brunswick line. For a long time, this was some nebulous future goal. Then in March of 2018, they said it was coming “this summer.” Alas, the summer came and went, and there still aren’t bike cars on most of the trains. Every once in a while I see one, but since they appear sporadically, you can’t know when you’ll get a train that has one so you can’t rely on it being there so you can’t use it.
Posted by: NeilB | February 26, 2019 at 09:53 AM
Does anyone know if MTA has ever publicly stated why they don't allow overnight parking at MARC stations? I can imagine possible reasons, but it would be a step forward to know what their reasons are.
Posted by: John Stith | February 27, 2019 at 09:16 AM