Trains Not Tolls

02/05/2024

MTA has announced the details of commuter bus cuts. Buses will come half as often on all routes serving Frederick and Washington Counties. Contact your state legislators and tell them not to cut commuter bus service. We have a web page that will look up who they are and enable you to email them. -

01/27/2024

The federal Dept. of Transportation has turned down Maryland's request for a $2.4 billion grant to help pay for the first phase of the I-270/Beltway toll lane scheme.

Yet Maryland plans to keep wasting millions of dollars on toll lanes studies while it adds even more traffic to I-270 by shutting down commuter bus routes.

Send an email to your state legislators and tell them this makes no sense. Keep the buses running instead of wasting money on toll lane studies.

01/21/2024

Write your legislators now. Gov. Moore's budget would wipe out more than half of all commuter bus routes. Tell them to save the commuter buses.

12/06/2023

State to walk away from deal with CSX for more MARC trains -

11/21/2023

Public is unimpressed by MDOT's I-270 open houses. Focus on toll lanes, with trains coming later if at all.
“People with money can get out of the traffic but if you’re the working poor, you’re screwed, stay in the traffic,” says Trains Not Tolls member Richard Kaplowitz of Frederick.

A series of open house meetings in Montgomery and Frederick Counties last week is part of an effort to seek community input on a revamped vision for easing congestion along the Capital Beltway in Maryland as well as I-270 and a new, wider American Legion Bridge.

11/15/2023

The state is holding an open house on I-270 toll lanes & alternatives tomorrow night. The event will be at Frederick High School, 650 Carroll Parkway, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.

This is your opportunity to tell state officials that frequent all-day train service on MARC to Frederick and Brunswick is a much better solution than toll lanes.

10/20/2023

Action Alert: Tell MARC you want more trains - https://mailchi.mp/9178f677073b/action-alert-tell-marc-you-want-more-trains

The Maryland Dept. of Transportation is running a brief online survey about future goals for MARC. Tell them you want trains to run all day, both ways, seven days a week.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MARCGrowthPlan

06/05/2023

Reminder: Planning Meeting This Thursday 7:00 pm at C Burr Artz Library, 110 East Patrick St, Frederick -

05/24/2023

MARC expansion campaign planning meeting - Thursday, June 8, 7:00 pm at the C Burr Artz Library in downtown Frederick.

Join us to plan the next stage of Trains Not Tolls' campaign for more MARC trains, aimed at the goal of trains running all day, every day, both ways from Frederick and Brunswick into Washington.

05/18/2023

Good news from Annapolis! Marc Korman has been appointed chair of the Environment and Transportation Committee of the House of Delegates. Del. Korman has been a steadfast supporter of transit.
Among many other contributions he has made, one that affects Brunswick & Frederick County stands out. A few years ago, when there was a threat that MARC trains would no longer run into West Virginia, he worked with West Virginia legislators to keep the trains running.

05/11/2023

Where the state's study of how to run more MARC trains now stands. There's a real path to progress, but there are real obstacles. And the state's initial report is not looking hard enough at how to get past those obstacles.

Riders have long clamored for better service to Martinsburg, West Virginia, and Frederick, Maryland, but there are many barriers to expansion. Some form of this plan, though, may actually come to fruition.

05/01/2023

Trains Not Tolls next meeting will be June 8 at 7:00 pm at the C Burr Artz Library in Frederick.
We will get an update on progress in our campaign for all-day MARC service and plan our next steps.