Photo by Christopher Poole

For those going between D.C. and Baltimore on the weekends, the only non-car, non-bus, non-bike option has long been Amtrak. The Maryland Transit Authority’s commuter line out of Union Station shuts down on Friday nights, leaving potential Charm City visitors paying a steeper price.

Well, that appears to be changing sometime soon. Baltimore Business Journal reports that with Gov. Martin O’Malley’s signature of a transportation bill today, Maryland officials will set aside funding to run MARC on the weekends:

Maryland’s Department of Transportation has allotted $100 million for improvements to the state’s MARC train service. Part of the upgrades include creating weekend service for the MARC Penn Line, which runs from Baltimore’s Penn Station to Union Station in D.C.

The funds are part of the $4.4 billion transportation bill signed by Gov. Martin O’Malley on Thursday. The Transportation Infrastructure Investment Act will increase the state’s gas tax, starting with a roughly 4-cent increase starting July 1. The tax is aimed at bringing in $800 million a year in revenue for the next six years. The money will be used for state transportation projects.

Finally! A way to get to Baltimore without having to fight for a decent spot in the long, snaking Northeast Regional queues, to say nothing of presumably cheaper ticket prices. Weekday trips on MARC between the cities cost $7 each way; Amtrak can run between $16 and $41.

Unfortunately, there is no scheduled start date for the new D.C.-to-Baltimore service, but it could be a while. Maryland’s next six-year transportation budget is not set to be introduced until Sept. 3.