Originally Posted by birdiedouble

I flew into BWI on Thanksgiving Day, heading into DC as my final destination. Due to the holiday, Amtrak was the only option by rail. I exited the C Terminal at BWI on the baggage claim area and a stop for the shuttle to the Amtrak/MARC shuttle was about 100 feet away. There is a video monitor above the stop that shows the progress of the shuttle. They run every 10 mins and I only waited about 5 mins. The ride to the train station only takes about 5-10 mins. The fare into DC was $37 and I had about a 30 minute wait for the train. Train arrived on time and it took about 25 mins to get into DC.

I had not explored the option of MARC running on my Sunday return, but notice people sitting in the waiting area for the MARC trains. I looked up the schedule on the app and realized there was an option that had about 4 stops before BWI as compared to the Amtrak ticket that I held that only had one stop. The MARC option was only about 5 mins slower and cost $8. I was able to get a refund on the Amtrak ticket as I had purchased a refundable ticket.

I would definately use either Amtrak or MARC to get to/from BWI and DC. One note is that the overhead luggage storage areas on the MARC train I was on was extremely small. You might be able to fit a thin backpack or briefcase up there. There was a small seating area near the door that had a bit larger overhead area. The train I was on had very few passengers, so my suitcase and backpack weren't an issue but it might be if the train were busier.

I was pretty happy getting back and forth for $45 on a busy holiday weekend.

YMMV

Originally Posted by M60_to_LGA

I've always wondered how it works for people who take Amtrak to/from the airport - actually, mostly from. To get to the airport, you can reserve in advance and take advantage of the saver fares, and it's not a big deal. But what happens if your flight is delayed by several hours, and you miss your reserved train from the airport back to home? I guess you could cancel online from the plane (assuming you have wifi), but then wouldn't you have to buy a new ticket at a far higher price? Or do the airport trains have a different pricing model?

When I lived in DC and had to take a flight to/from BWI, I'd take the bus to the Metro, and if my flight was very early or late, a Super Shuttle. But that was over a decade ago.