MARC will return to normal this fall. But what's the new normal for Maryland's commuter rail riders?

Premal Shah boarded a 7:15 a.m. southbound MARC train to Washington at Halethorpe for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

The 43-year-old, who works in information technology for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, commuted to Washington by train before COVID-19 prompted many workplaces to close last year and the Maryland Transit Administration to reduce MARC service.

“I drove in a couple of times, and I thought, ‘Let me try it out today,’” Shah said. “I want to go in for a return to normal, and I don’t want to drive.”

He was greeted on a summer morning last month by plenty of open parking spaces at the station and empty seats on the train, as MARC ridership remains down about 90% since the pandemic struck. ..............(more)

https://www.masstransitmag.com/rail/news/21230529/md-marc-will-return-to-normal-this-fall-but-whats-the-new-normal-for-marylands-commuter-rail-riders