Washington, DC City Guide - Getting There By Rail

Amtrak services (tel: (215) 349 1160 or 1 800 872 7245; website: www.amtrak.com) cover long-distance routes from Washington, DC, while MTA/MARC trains (tel: (410) 539 5000 or 1 866 743 3682; website: www.mtamaryland.com) connect with points in Maryland. Train services operate Monday to Friday 0500-2400. The vast Union Station is on 50 Massachusetts Avenue and its extensive facilities include restaurants, shops, ATMs and left-luggage. The ticket office (tel: 1 800 872 7245) is open 0430-2300 weekdays and 0500-2300 weekends. Tickets can also be purchased from the 24-hour Quik-Trak ticketing machines.

Rail services: Amtrak operates long-distance services, including regular departures to Philadelphia (journey time - 1 hour 35 minutes), New York (2 hours 45 minutes) and Chicago (17 hours 30 minutes). The Acela Express, introduced in 2000, has cut 15 minutes or more off the current Metroliner service journey time to New York of about three hours. MTA/MARC operates local services, including to Baltimore and other towns in Maryland.