Maryland's MARC commuter rail service launched weekend service between Penn Station in Baltimore, Maryland and Union Station in Washington, DC, on Saturday December 7th! Leaders of the effort to introduce this service, including Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Maryland Lt. Governor Anthony Brown, US Representative Elijah Cummings, Howard County Executive Ken Ulman, Maryland Aviation Administration Executive Director Paul J. Wiedefeld, Maryland Senator Verna Jones-Rodwell, and others joined the celebration at Baltimore's Penn Station. The new service connects the downtowns of these two cities, which are only thirty-eight miles apart, for a mere $7.00. Along the way, MARC stops at Baltimore Washington International (BWI) Thurgood Marshall Airport, eliminating the need for more expensive private vehicle transportation. Unlike a number of other rail projects, this project was a bargain because it didn't require significant capital expenditure because the stations and rail line were already in place, though MARC is planning to acquire ten new rail locomotives.