I'm amazed that the MARC train isn't discussed more as an economic development issue. Instead of spending all our time on the Red Line, the city and state could offer an expansion of the MARC train. Add weekend service and an East Baltimore station, and you would attract thousands of DC residents. Connect Baltimore to Philadelphia via MARC and you'll get even more commuters here.

Due to Baltimores outrageous property tax rate, terrible MARC train service and crime I'm predicting that there will never be a mass exodus from DC to Baltimore. The odd thing is that all of these issues could be resolved if there was the will to do so.

For now northern VA is starting to look better and better!

The Marc train is unreliable and just takes too long. I can give you a number of Marc train stories. I can't wait to move to the DC area!!! Goodbye Baltimore and Marc. Hello DC!

P.S. Louis, do you take the Marc train on a daily basis to DC? I don't know anyone who wants to commute over an hour to get to work and then face delays left and right.

Having grown up in Baltimore, moved to DC for many years, and just recently returned to Bmore, I can say that I definitely expect more DC transplants in the future. Life is simply more relaxed and more affordable here. Yes MARC service could be a lot better. I mean, let's see: we have one city with lots of high paying jobs, but a serious dearth of housing, and less than forty miles away, we have another city with almost no high paying jobs, but with an abundance of affordable homes. In any other industrialized nation in the world, they would have been linked by a high speed commuter train twenty years ago. We would be talking a twenty minute commute from Penn Station to Union, at the absolute worst. Nonetheless Baltimore is still the most attractive option for people priced out of DC, who still want an urban environment. And for those of you who think NOVA is a better option, you are fooling yourselves. If you live in a metro accessible area of Virginia, you will still be paying half a million at minimum for a decent house. And if you don't live by the metro, you are going to be spending just as long to go twenty miles in the car, as you would to go that forty on the train. Only instead of being able to relax and read, you will be trying desperately to avoid being hit by some insane driver on 495. Baltimore isn't for everyone. But most of it's problems exist in DC too. The only difference is that there they are masked by a thin veneer of wealth. People go on and on about the schools and crime, but the public schools in DC aren't an option either except for a few magnets (same as here), and in terms of robberies/random acts of violence, DC is every bit as bad. I guess it depends on what kind of a person you are. If the first question you ask a new acquaintance is, "what do you do," then Baltimore probably isn't for you, and you should stay in DC. But if you actually like to know your neighbors, don't care where the in place is, and have any interests outside of politics, then you should probably think about moving north...

Seriously, is no one aware of the Commuter Bus to DC? Its much cheaper and way more reliable than Marc since there's so many of them.

What commuter Bus to DC?

Echo..yes, what commuter bus?

I'm a native Baltimorean who took a job mid-last year in DC. I commuted for 8 months - 4 hour round-trip daily and hated life. In Dec, I rented my house in Baltimore and took an apt. in DC. I must admit, as much as I like the convenience of living and working in DC, I prefer Baltimore. Besides, my family and most friends are here. Nevertheless, it all depends. I tell people quite frankly, "I moved to DC for the job and work-life balance. If I had everything in Baltimore, there is no need to move." DC has the same grime and crime as Baltimore. The biggest exceptions: great monuments and public transportation system.

I have a handful of MARC stories, but I think over time, I'd say the service is pretty reliable. Much more reliable than driving, for sure, and almost as reliable as the DC Metro. I think a lot of people have a couple bad experiences and then just lose patience.

Example: My boss took the MARC train for a time, and it was late a couple times over a short period of time. He stopped taking the train and now tells everyone how unreliable it is. He drives to work, and is late about 50 percent of the time.

As far as MARC is concerned , if the government ever built a highspeed rail link from DC to Baltimore which cut travel time to 30 minutes or less then i guarantee you that there would be very few vacant houses by Penn Station.

As for taxes i dont know how they compare to other areas. but im guessing that its often not to DC the city, that Baltimore residents are moving to , but the suburbs of DC.Basicly because of crime and education concerns as well as taxes.

Finally i disagree with "Bmore09" in your article who complained about Baltimore's housing prices.

I live in Highlandtown which is a pretty nice area. And they auctioned off a livable house for $15,000 the other day for crying out loud !They have been trying to auction off some big houses on Baltimore Street for $40,000 and they cant get anyone to buy them. And you can get a rehabbed house in Canton for around $250,000 nowdays.And an "unrehabbed but livable" house in Canton for around $150,000. Where in the DC area can you do that?

What would it take to do a nonstop MARC train from Penn Station to Union Station in less than 1/2 hour?

This should be a Baltimore priority.

Pete,

Do you recall the address or at least the intersection of that 15k house? That's amazing.

Sorry guys I'm just seeing the questions. There's commuter bus that goes from Baltimore to DC as well as Columbia to DC. The lines are 995 (Balt-DC), 915 & 929 (Columbia-DC) go to www.mta.maryland.com to find which is best for you. They're also much cheaper than Marc. but how much you pay depends on where you're going.

And no I'm not an MTA employee, I just commute to Silver Spring from B-more daily.

We moved from DC to Lutherville in 2006. The value of our home started to plummet within months, our neighbors turned out to be enormous snobs, and my husband ended up with a new job back in DC. The chance of him getting an executive job here was non-existent. So back we go.
Recent trip to NY reminded us that good public transportation is possible. You can get to Penn Station from NJ in 15 minutes, every 15 minutes. Here... good luck.

To the person who was wondering about the house i was talking about in my comment. It was on Pulaski by Curley Street.

Not a great area ,but not bad either ,crime wise. I myself just live two blocks south of there.

@NOVA Bound The New York/Baltimore comparison is unfair. Baltimore's 40 miles from DC. Of course you can get from Mid-Town Manhattan to Jersey City in less than 30 minutes. It's a quick trip because it's so close. Try getting from Morristown, NJ to Mid-Town... that's more of the right distance comparison to the DC-Baltimore trip. That takes about 60 minutes, which is exactly the same amount of time.

Does the MARC stop frequently? At 60mph it should be able to do the trip in 40 minutes. Perhaps you don't even need faster trains, just fewer stops.

f=ma, it takes a loooooooooong time for those things to get up to speed after a stop.

I agree that we should view the area as one large metro area. As communication, telecommuting...continue to improve we'll all be "neighbors" soon and should act that way. I am partial to Baltimore myself but love DC as well.