MARC:

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A new Washington Post article discusses the controversy of having overhead wires installed across downtown Washington to power the city's new streetcars:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/05/AR2010040502927.html

Here in Montgomery County, it is widely assumed that we will have such overhead catenararies along the planned routes of the Purple Line and Corridor Cities Transitway. However, the growing budget difficulties and dysfunctional Metro system - along with the poor to nonexistant performance of Metro and light rail during the 3 blizzards - continue to make an expansion of MARC commuter rail an affordable and efficient alternative.

The controversial Science City and other developments previously built along I-270 have all been touted as "smart growth" based upon the far-off construction of the CCT. Not only is the ridership of the non-existing CCT far overstated, but the current size of the Gaithersburg West plan far exceeds the capacity of current and future transportation infrastructure in that area.

Meanwhile, Watkins Mill Town Center is emerging as the only real smart growth development in that corridor. Why? In addition to a planned interchange with 270 (of course, it's not yet built in our cart-before-the-horse county council's mode of planning), Watkins Mill already has a MARC rail station on site.

North of the county, MARC trains take a spur into downtown Frederick. There are a variety of possible MARC configurations that could provide the rail service needed in the 270 corridor, at a greatly reduced price.

Not only do diesel locomotives require no overhead wires, they also are less expensive, easier to maintain, and keep going in all weather conditions. Furthermore, did you know that the electric Acela trainsets have a shorter lifespan than regular diesel trainsets? The original Acelas, only in service this past decade, have already reached their mid-life crisis and have a decade of service left. Meanwhile, diesel locomotives from the 60s and 70s are still running across the country.

Also, laying the track will be far cheaper with MARC expansion. Although the Powers That Be have already decided the future for us, our county and state's structural deficits demand that we examine every cost-saving measure. And as I've mentioned before, a MARC Purple Line would allow the entire tree canopy to remain with the exception of station sites. (I can't help also pointing out that, had elites and the Powers That Be left the CSX tracks in place, we could have gotten FRA funds to upgrade them to Class I status. More inept planning in Montgomery County!)

I truly believe that MARC is currently an underpromoted and underappreciated part of our minimalist transit network. We can do better, and our county deserves better. MARC expansion can give us one piece of a modern transportation system, which along with road construction and improvements, can address the gridlock that wastes our time and scares business away from Montgomery County.