For two cities so close whose fortunes are so entwined, Baltimore and Washington have an abysmal lack of transit connections. Greyhound runs a comprehensive schedule but is a bit pricey for regular commuter use at $12 one way. Its Baltimore station is stuck in an industrial district far from the light rail or subway.
The MARC train costs $7 between Baltimore and Washington (with discounts for regular users) but runs a restricted schedule - especially on the Camden Line - with no weekend service. It's also prone to delays as a result of accidents, track work or equipment failure.
There is, however, a Third Way. It's not exceptionally fast, and it requires use of the light rail, but it appears to be reasonably reliable, and it runs on weekends and as late as 10 p.m. northbound and 10:45 p.m. southbound. Unlike the MARC, which constantly struggles with overcrowding, it could expand the frequency of service easily with consumer demand.
It's the B30 bus.
If it doesn't sound familiar, that's probably because it's not a Maryland Transit Administration bus. It's a Washington Metrobus that connects BWI Marshall Airport with the Greenbelt Metro Station - the northern terminus of the Washington subway's Green Line.
And as bus routes go, it's a gem. There are no stops between the airport area and Greenbelt. It whizzes along the Baltimore-Washington Parkway and makes the run in about a half-hour, leaving you off right at the subway. It runs at 40-minute intervals.
The time of travel varies based on how the services connect. But on a good day it could take as little as an hour and a half from downtown Baltimore to downtown Washington. That's not as fast as MARC - when MARC is behaving - but it's not a bad backup for rail commuters.
Last week, not wanting to recommend something I hadn't tested, I simulated missing the last morning Camden Line train to Washington at 8:15 a.m.
Before setting off, I asked several MARC customers what they would do if they missed that train.
Jessica Smits' first reaction was that she'd have to drive. The only other solution, she said, would be to go to Penn Station and travel to Union Station in Washington on the Penn Line, then use the subway to get to her workplace in College Park.
She had never heard of the B30.
Yes, you could drive - if you have a car. And, yes, you could take the light rail north to Penn Station to catch the 9:05 a.m. train. It would get you in to Union Station at 10:03 - if there are no delays.
