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I agree with you about expanding MARC service. The hours should be expanded as well. In my younger days, I've slept on the floor in Penn Station in NYC and on a bench in 30th Street Station in Philly. (A police officer woke me up in Philly and told me to move to a safer area of the station.) I have been a great believer ever since in a late train to handle those inevitable complications. Of course the frequency of service can be reduced in off hours, but in a major metro area, there should probably be a train at least every two hours or so. You might not need more than one or two cars. It's basically an insurance policy for people who get caught late in the city, and it takes away the argument that, "I need my car because I never know when I might have to work late." This argument is used by all commuters, including clock watchers who invariably leave the office at 5:00 sharp. People like the feeling of being in control, and you are not in control if you are relying on a system that shuts down in the early evening hours.

We live in a crazy world in which the authorities find it politically easier to spend a bazillion dollars adding a lane to I-270, which will merely create a wider parking lot during rush hour, than to add a late train to the Brunswick line.My proposal would of a necessity cause there to be something like a midnight train to Martinsburg WV. I also would like two or more outbound trains during morning rush and matching inbound trains during evening rush on the Brunswick line. As for the cost, I know that adding the rails to not restrict the freight capacity of the line would require things like moving stations, and replacing major bridges (e.g. Connecticut Ave over the tracks). Also more freight on the rails instead of the road makes a major impact on the congestion (intermodal yard inside DC?)