The magazine noted that MARC service expanded during the 1990s, and that the state made great effort to update train equipment during the gubernatorial terms of William Donald Schaefer and Parris Glendening. This century, the picture has turned far bleaker for Maryland rail commuters.
Trains found MARC ridership dropped 64% between 2018 and 2023. MARC now has the worst cost efficiency, and the poorest mechanical reliability record of any medium size commuter railroad in the country. In other words, Maryland is at rock bottom in commuter rail service. The magazine summed up its analysis of MARC by saying, "it's tough to find a silver lining."
Reporter John Friedmann described the criteria and data utilized in the magazine's survey as follows: Each railroad was graded on the same five criteria. Efficiency was calculated by the operating cost per passenger mile. Utilization, or how much do passengers utilize the network, was measured by the number of passenger miles per route mile. Growth was determined by a comparison of 2018 ridership versus 2023 ridership. Relevance was measured by number of rail trips per area resident. And reliability was rated by the number of mechanical failures per train mile.
All data was compiled from the Federal Transit Administration's National Transit Database.
Not surprisingly, the Long Island Railroad and Metro-North Railroad in New York earned an A grade in the survey. So did commuter systems in Salt Lake City and Denver, railroads that aren't discussed as often as their more famous counterparts like the MBTA, Metra, and SEPTA, all of which scored below the Utah and Colorado lines in this survey - but far higher than our beleagured MARC. Can it get any worse for Maryland? Yes! Beyond a massive structural budget deficit forecast, any Purple Line financial losses will siphon even more money from MARC over the coming decades.
Police say they were able to identify one of the two alleged invaders, and have charged that individual. They are attempting to learn the identity of the second suspect. Police did not identify the charged suspect, and have not released a description of the invader who remains at large. If you have any information about this incident, call police at 240-314-8900.
Two recent additions to Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda have closed. Socks to Be You and Native Arts were seasonal pop-ups, and have departed to possibly return next year. The socks retailer has been a perennial tenant since at least 2022. I thought socks and native arts were year-round things, though.
Beyond Yoga is coming soon to Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The "female-founded and led" (it's actually now owned by Levi Strauss & Co.) athleisurewear brand will immediately face intense competition from existing mall tenants like Lululemon and Fabletics. Like those labels, Beyond Yoga has celebrity endorsers, including Jennifer Lawrence and Olivia Wilde.
The Los Angeles-based company's calling cards include a "body-positive" product line, a Thred-Up apparel exchange program, and its proprietary soft Spacedye fabric. It recently expanded into men's apparel. Beyond Yoga is expected to be open by summer.
