SCA’s Position Statement

MARC Brunswick Line train service through our community---with station stops at Boyds, Barnesville, and Dickerson---should be maintained and improved as a vital commuter link between upper-county residents and their jobs and as a convenient way to access down-county and Washington, D.C., services and attractions.

• SCA supports continued and improved service to all three upcounty stations, including more frequent train service to the Boyds and Dickerson stops.

• With increased ridership, parking spaces at all three stations is becoming inadequate. Paving and marking of the lot at Boyds needs improvement, and expansion of both the Boyds and Dickerson lots should be considered.

• Upcounty residents and commuters should have regular representation on the MARC Riders Advisory Council.

Background

Passenger trains have served Montgomery County towns and villages since the 19th century. In late 2005, the Maryland Department of Transportation announced that the Boyds and Dickerson stations on the Brunswick Line of the MARC commuter train line would be closed. More than 150 upcounty residents and elected officials from the county, state, and federal governments turned out for a public hearing on the issue in early January 2006 and expressed overwhelming opposition to the plan. A day later, however, the state transportation secretary Robert L. Flanagan said that he had decided to close the two stations on March 6. State lawmakers responded by passing emergency legislation directing MDOT to keep the stations open and to answer a series of questions about the impact of the planned closings on commuters before closing the stops. Closure has not been threatened again, but some issues remain about the adequacy of service at the Boyds and Dickerson stations.