Blue Ridge (train)

The Blue Ridge was a daily Amtrak passenger train that operated between Washington, D.C., and Cumberland, Maryland (Martinsburg, West Virginia after 1976). Service began in 1973; it was merged into the MARC Brunswick Line commuter rail service in 1986.

Blue Ridge

The Blue Ridge in December 1980
Overview
Service type	Commuter rail
Status	Transferred to MTA Maryland
Locale	West Virginia
Predecessor	Potomac Special
First service	May 7, 1973
Last service	1986
Successor	Brunswick Line (MARC Train)
Former operator(s)	Amtrak
Route
Termini	Washington, D.C Cumberland, Maryland
Stops	9
Distance travelled	143 mi (230 km)
Average journey time	3 hours, 5 minutes
Service frequency	Daily
Train number(s)	701–704
On-board services
Class(es)	Unreserved coach
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Track owner(s)	B&O Railroad
Route map Legend 0 mi 0 km Washington, D.C. DC MD 7 mi 11 km Silver Spring 16 mi 26 km Rockville 21 mi 34 km Gaithersburg 49 mi 79 km Brunswick MD WV Potomac River 55 mi 89 km Harpers Ferry 74 mi 119 km Martinsburg 96 mi 154 km Hancock WV MD Potomac River 146 mi 235 km Cumberland This diagram: view talk edit

History

The Blue Ridge was introduced on May 7, 1973, as a replacement for the Potomac Special. It was curtailed from the Potomac Special terminus of Parkersburg, West Virginia to Cumberland, and retimed to better serve commuters.^[1] In December 1975, the Blue Ridge became the first train outside the Northeast Corridor to receive new Amfleet coaches.^[1] The Blue Ridge was truncated to Martinsburg on October 31, 1976 upon the introduction of the Washington–Cincinnati, Ohio Shenandoah.^[2][1] Weekend service was dropped on October 1, 1981 amid cuts to Amtrak services.^[3]

In 1986, Amtrak transferred the Blue Ridge to the Maryland Mass Transit Administration (now the Maryland Transit Administration), who incorporated it into the MARC Brunswick Line.^[4] As part of the transfer, Amtrak agreed to subsidize the train for five years.^[5] MARC continued to use the name during the late 1980s.^{[citation needed]}