Commuter Rail

There are two major commuter rail systems serving the Washington, DC area, Virginia Railway Express (VRE) and MARC Train Service (MARC).

Commuter Rail and SmartBenefits

Both VRE and MARC accept Metrochek, the farecard voucher provided as an employee benefit by many Washington, D.C. area employers. However, beginning in 2008, Metro, many other area transit systems, and employers are transitioning from Metrochek to SmartBenefits. With SmartBenefits, employees' transit benefits are loaded onto SmarTrip cards, which are NOT accepted by VRE or MARC. Employees who commute on MARC or VRE commuter rail can have their transit benefits assigned to a personal account online at CommuterDirect.com or at any of the three Arlington locations of The Commuter Store, in order to receive the tickets or passes they need. For more information, see the SmartBenefits page.

Virginia Railway Express (VRE)

VRE connects northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. with commuter rail service on two lines, one from Fredericksburg and one from Manassas. VRE stations in the Washington metropolitan area are: Crystal City (Arlington, VA), L'Enfant Plaza (Washington DC), and Union Station (Washington DC).

VRE is a transportation partnership of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) and the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PRTC).

VRE System Map

For the latest system and station information, visit VRE's Station Map page.

VRE Schedules

Fredericksburg Line Schedule
Manassas Line Schedule

Schedules for Mobile Devices

Now you can check the VRE schedule anywhere, using your PDA or web-enabled cell phone. Schedules for local bus and Metrobus routes in Northern Virginia are also available. Find out more.

Holiday schedules and more information are available on VRE's Web site, www.vre.org.

Real-Time Service Updates

Rail Time: Real-time GPS tracking of VRE trains with on-time and delay information. Rail Time maps show train positions down to the street level.

VRE Tickets and Passes

CommuterDirect.com® and The Commuter Store® sell single-trip tickets, round-trip tickets, 10-trip tickets (15% discount), monthly tickets (30% discount), VRE/TLC Passes (unlimited monthly VRE and Metrorail), and discounted senior and disabled tickets for all station combinations on both lines. For more detailed descriptions of the types of tickets and passes available, see the Commuter Store / CommuterDirect.com Product Descriptions Page.

Tickets and passes for VRE may be purchased online or by mail from CommuterDirect.com® and at the three Arlington locations of The Commuter Store®.

VRE Station Information

Station addresses, hours, and parking information.

VRE Merchandise

VRE offers caps, t-shirts, golf shirts, coffee cups, and other items emblazoned with the VRE logo. Pictures of VRE merchandise and downloadable order forms are available at www.vre.org/fun/merchandise.htm

Train Talk, the VRE E-Mail Information Service

Train Talk is VRE's e-mail service for those who want the latest information on schedule changes, service disruptions, seat notices and other news. We will e-mail press releases, announcements and other materials as soon as they can be made available to the public. Sign up for Train Talk.

For More Information About VRE

Visit VRE's Web site at www.vre.org, or call (703) 684-0400 or 1-800-RIDE-VRE.

MARC

The MARC Train Service (MARC) is an integral component of Maryland's transportation system. The 187-mile commuter rail system, providing service on three lines, between Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD; Washington, DC and Perryville, MD; and Washington, DC and Martinsburg, WV.

MARC Train Service connecting the cities of Frederick, MD and Washington, DC began revenue service on December 17, 2001. Service from Frederick includes three trains into Union Station in Washington each morning and three returning in the evening. (See Brunswick Line schedule, below.) Trains leave Frederick on 3.5 miles of MTA-owned track and join CSX's "Old Main Line" at a junction adjacent to Monocacy Battlefield. Trains head for Washington, D.C. on the Brunswick Line from Point of Rocks (but will not stop at the Point of Rocks station). All Frederick trains stop at the major stations in Montgomery County (Germantown, Silver Spring and Rockville) to provide connections to Metrorail and other transit providers. All but one train also stops at Gaithersburg and Metropolitan Grove. Certain trains will stop at other stations on the Brunswick Line.

MARC Train Service is operated under contract with the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) and CSX Transportation.

MARC System Map

For the latest system and station maps, visit MARC's system map page.

MARC Schedules

For the latest schedules and service updates, visit MARC's schedule page.

MARC Tickets and Passes

CommuterDirect.com® and The Commuter Store® sell one-way and round-trip tickets, unlimited weekly and monthly passes, discounted passes for senior citizens and people with disabilities, and Transit Link cards. Tickets and passes are available for all station combinations on both MARC lines. Click here for descriptions of the types of fares available.

Order tickets online or by mail, or contact The Commuter Store®.

MARC Train Station Information

For Mark station addresses, hours, and parking information, and thumbnail maps, click this link and then scroll down: MARC Stations and Maps page.

MTA E-mail News and Update Service

Get information about MARC schedule changes, delays and cancelations directly from MTA. You can also sign up to receive updates about MTA commuter bus service and other services. Sign up for MTA's eNews and Update Service.

For More Information About MARC

Visit MARC's web site at www.mtamaryland.com or call 1-800-543-9809.