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I think the MARC was a bit faster because the trains are newer and just a better run company/service in general. But electrification is coming to the Providence line eventually per the MBTA. From what I can recall it seems like Providence has more frequent trains. But honestly I don’t think it matters that much-no one rides 15 trains a day.
I agree no one rides 15 trains a day, but running more trains, especially if it were significantly greater frequencies and they were cheaper and the trip faster, does mean that it's easier for someone to on a lark make the trip and probably results in more ridership. There's probably not much of a difference though given that the two lines have about the same daily ridership.
I agree no one rides 15 trains a day, but running more trains, especially if it were significantly greater frequencies and they were cheaper and the trip faster, does mean that it's easier for someone to on a lark make the trip and probably results in more ridership. There's probably not much of a difference though given that the two lines have about the same daily ridership.
About the same daily ridership but a much smaller population in Providence which to me suggests a higher degree of connectivity to Boston.
I did a cursory look--no easy access to pre-covid schedules to find frequencies, but in terms of time and fare costs for a one-way trip:
MARC Penn Line | Baltimore to DC | 60 minutes | $8.00
MBTA Providence | Providence to Boston | 73 minutes | $12.25
Amtrak Hiawatha | Milwaukee to Chicago | 89 minutes | $25.00
Milwaukee does not have commuter rail to Chicago, but the next best and much more pricey thing is fairly frequent Amtrak service on the Hiawatha line. I can see Providence line being electrified (technically, the line it's running on is electrified now since Amtrak electric rolling stock run on the same exact tracks) in a near-ish term future and cutting down its times to be more in line with MARC Penn Line times. Supposedly electrified rolling stock as well as shorter run times for the trip would mean operating expenses are down, but I'm not so sure that would result in lower fares.
I did a cursory look--no easy access to pre-covid schedules to find frequencies, but in terms of time and fare costs for a one-way trip:
MARC Penn Line | Baltimore to DC | 60 minutes | $8.00
MBTA Providence | Providence to Boston | 73 minutes | $12.25
Amtrak Hiawatha | Milwaukee to Chicago | 89 minutes | $25.00
Milwaukee does not have commuter rail to Chicago, but the next best and much more pricey thing is fairly frequent Amtrak service on the Hiawatha line. I can see Providence line being electrified (technically, the line it's running on is electrified now since Amtrak electric rolling stock run on the same exact tracks) in a near-ish term future and cutting down its times to be more in line with MARC Penn Line times. Supposedly electrified rolling stock as well as shorter run times for the trip would mean operating expenses are down, but I'm not so sure that would result in lower fares.
Also worth noting it’s usually faster to drive Providence to Boston than Baltimore to DC. Much less traffic in the Providence area. That DC traffic is a beast and its circular. Boston’s traffic primarily comes form the north and west and to a lesser extent Route 3 which runs to the cape and away from Providence.
And I’m not sure the MARC runs on Sunday. Edit: quick google search shows two train run to Baltimore on Sundays from DC. Compared to 7 Providence to Boston.
Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
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Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade
Also worth noting it’s usually faster to drive Providence to Boston than Baltimore to DC. Much less traffic in the Providence area. That DC traffic is a beast and its circular. Boston’s traffic primarily comes form the north and west and to a lesser extent Route 3 which runs to the cape and away from Providence.
And I’m not sure the MARC runs on Sunday. Edit: quick google search shows two train run to Baltimore on Sundays from DC. Compared to 7 Providence to Boston.
Number of trains isn't the same as number of riders. How big are the trains and how many cars do they have? MARC runs 4/5 car trains on the Penn Line on weekends. This was 6 years ago back when weekend service just began.
Here's the thing, Milwaukee and Chicago are continuous. Their suburbs touch. You can live closer to Milwaukee, and be in the Chicago MSA. Chicago has swallowed up part of Milwaukee's MSA. People like to talk about the cities being 90 miles apart...that's city center to city center. Unless one needs to start and end at city center, chances are, your destination is a lot closer, than that. Also, there are 8 and soon will be 10, trains that run daily between the two cities. The two cities aren't dependent on each other, but they will, some day, be a part of the same CSA. Many people I know in Milwaukee work in the Chicago suburbs, and I know Chicagoans who have condos in Milwaukee, and spend the week-end there.
The person who thought Baltimore had more bars in one section, than the entire city of Milwaukee needs to rethink that. Clearly, they aren't at all familiar with Milwaukee.
The Metros only touch along the coast. Inland, there's at least 15 miles of rural farmland between the suburbs of Chicago and Milwaukee.
Number of trains isn't the same as number of riders. How big are the trains and how many cars do they have? MARC runs 4/5 car trains on the Penn Line on weekends. This was 6 years ago back when weekend service just began.
Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
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Originally Posted by OyCrumbler
It makes sense to use infrastructure spending as a way to stimulate the economy since it would be both immediate work and would spur future economic advantages. However, I believe Hogan vetoed this bill: https://legiscan.com/MD/bill/HB1236/2020
So what happens now? Are the prospects of it getting passed even with the veto pretty slim?
Hogan doesn't know what he wants to do because he's playing the fence. He may have vetoed that bill but has been fully backing Maglev to run from DC to Baltimore through his state. Something is going to have to happen is all I know because Baltimore is stagnant at this point. Maglev would be trans-formative for both cities, but not because of connecting the two to one another. It's because of the potential connection it could provide to the rest of the NE corridor.
Hogan doesn't know what he wants to do because he's playing the fence. He may have vetoed that bill but has been fully backing Maglev to run from DC to Baltimore through his state. Something is going to have to happen is all I know because Baltimore is stagnant at this point. Maglev would be trans-formative for both cities, but not because of connecting the two to one another. It's because of the potential connection it could provide to the rest of the NE corridor.
Do you know how it's looking in terms of the veto being overridden?
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