The Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA) celebrated the completion of the new MARC Riverside Heavy Maintenance Facility in Baltimore, a $64.2 million project improving MARC Train maintenance and operational efficiency.

During a ribbon-cutting event attended by MDOT Secretary James F. Ports Jr., MDOT MTA Administrator Holly Arnold, and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Regional Administrator Terry Garcia Crews, officials said the new 35,000-square-foot facility will enhance locomotive and railcar maintenance capabilities and support transit improvements along the Northeast Corridor, according to MDOT MTA's news release.

“Maintaining a balanced transportation system in a state of good repair is critical to customers and communities we serve across Maryland,” said Ports. “The new MARC Riverside facility exemplifies our commitment to improve our transit network, maintain convenient and reliable service, and provide customers with options that can help alleviate traffic congestion and reduce vehicle emissions.”

The MARC Riverside facility includes four maintenance slots for locomotives undergoing heavy maintenance and repair, which will free up the existing shop building to streamline preventative maintenance and federally required inspections.

The new facility is set to be fully operational by mid-2023. Maintenance staff will now begin a testing and commission period for the facility’s wheel truing machine and drop table. That process will take several months, according to MDOT MTA. The building is designed to accommodate future rolling stock, allowing MTA to procure dual-mode or electric locomotives in the future to operate on the Penn Line.  

The new maintenance facility also supports future projects for MARC Train including the proposed Penn-Camden Connector, a commuter rail connection between the two rail lines. It is also an enabling project for the future Frederick Douglass Tunnel/B&P Tunnel Replacement project.