The Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration and Virginia Railway Express have agreed upon a partnership to allow free transfers between systems.
Passengers with a weekly, monthly or 10-trip ticket purchased on the MARC or VRE to Union Station in Washington, D.C., can now also use that ticket to transfer to the other system to continue the trip without additional cost.
“This agreement represents a significant step forward in regional transit integration,” Maryland Transit Administrator Holly Arnold said in a Thursday news release. “We are not only fostering a more connected and efficient transportation network across our states but fueling economic growth by facilitating easier movement of people, supporting tourism and attracting business to the National Capital Region.”
The VRE is a joint project of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission and the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission, and provides commuter rail service from the Northern Virginia suburbs to Alexandria, Crystal City and downtown Washington along the Interstate 66 and I-95 corridors. The VRE’s 10-day plan costs between $17 and $117, depending on distance, and a monthly pass runs for between $52 and $311.
The MARC system’s weekly tickets run between $45 and $190, and monthly tickets are between $162 to $513 to head to Union Station. The system has the Penn Line, Camden Line and Brunswick Line, which all lead to Union Station after nearly two hours and offer connections to the VRE.
“This agreement effectively expands the geographic footprint of commuter rail service in the region and provides passengers with an affordable two-seat ride across state lines,” VRE CEO Rich Dalton said in the release.
For more information on the agreement, visit the MTA or VRE website.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly reported which MARC lines connect to the VRE. The Sun regrets the error.
