The Maryland legislature (called the General Assembly in that state) included a large increase for state funding of the Maryland Area Rail Commuter (MARC) train system when it recently passed its state budget for Fiscal Year 2023.

The MARC is run by Maryland Transit Administration (MTA), which is under the umbrella of the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT). Maryland has been paying part of the cost of serving the part of its Brunswick Line that goes from Harpers Ferry to Martinsburg.

Of significant interest to folks in Jefferson County, is that much of the extra funding appropriated by the Maryland General Assembly will be devoted to increasing cooperation with Virginia and Delaware. There is apparently no mention of increasing cooperation with West Virginia.

Why might that be?

Cynics might attribute this to West Virginia Governor Jim Justice’s refusal to approve full funding of MARC service in West Virginia by our state. This has put the future of MARC service in West Virginia in doubt. Justice has said that some of the cost of MARC service in West Virginia must be borne by local governments (counties, cities and towns).

But no commuter rail service in the country is funded by local governments. Nationwide, such service is funded entirely at the state level. Plus, county governments in West Virginia are seriously strapped for funds, compared to those in most other states.

Moreover, the major infrastructure bill passed by the U.S. Congress a few months ago gives states large amounts of additional financial resources that could go toward commuter rail, among other things. I think West Virginia can pony up enough money to fully fund West Virginia’s portion of the MARC cost.

I know that Delegate Eric Householder (R-Berkeley), chair of the House of Delegates Finance Committee, is a strong supporter of MARC. He has tried very hard to secure the funds necessary to support MARC service at its current level. But he faces two roadblocks, Governor Justice and State Senate President Craig Blair (also R-Berkeley). Blair has taken an even stronger stance than Justice, wanting funding for MARC in West Virginia to come from entirely local sources.

After dropping sharply during the coronovirus pandemic, MARC ridership in West Virginia has rebounded considerably in recent weeks. It’s not back up to where it was before the pandemic, but it’s recovering.

What will the future bring, as far as ridership is concerned? There are winds blowing in different directions. Many folks have warmed to the idea of working partly or entirely from home, which quite a number of them have done during the pandemic. This suggests that ridership may not return to its pre-pandemic level. But Amazon’s 27,000 new jobs in Crystal City will no doubt put more folks onto commuter rail, some of whom will choose to reside in Jefferson County (and Berkeley County as well).

I suggest we don’t yet have enough information to make an accurate forecast as to how many train riders we’ll have a half dozen years from now. We need to be nimble.

John Doyle is a delegate for the West Virginia District 67. He can be reached at johndoyle@wvhouse.gov.