Town Council Will Weigh in on MARC Schedule

The Kensington Town Council will decide whether to issue an opinion on the Maryland Transit Administration's proposal of cutting MARC service to the town at a meeting Monday.

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. in .

MARC released a proposed schedule late last year, which included cutting a morning and evening train from Kensington. After public outcry, MTA officials delayed the implementation date for a new schedule and said they'd .

The town's resolution would urge MTA not to reduce service to Kensington.

MTA's goal is to improve the timeliness of the Brunswick Line, which officials have said lags behind MARC's other routes. Cutting stops at smaller stations like Kensington and Garrett Park would help get trains on schedule at peak times, according to MTA.

But many town residents have said that any reduction in service would severely impact ridership, especially for students of Gonzaga College High School, for whom eliminating the 7:17 a.m. train to Union Station would make it impossible to use MARC.

In December, the District 18 delegation sent MARC a letter, asking the organization not to cut trains but instead consider increasing its service to Kensington.

The proposed cuts were also , and Councilmember Craig Rice worried that a reduction in service would force people back into their cars.