Odenton station

Odenton is a passenger rail station on the MARC Penn Line. It is located along the Northeast Corridor; Amtrak trains operating along the corridor pass through but do not stop.[5] Both platforms at the station are high-level and are among the longest in the MARC system.

Odenton
MARC commuter rail station
MARC train led by a Kawasaki bi-level cab car enters Odenton station.
Location	1400 Odenton Road, Odenton, Maryland[1]
Coordinates	39.0869°N 76.7065°W / 39.0869; -76.7065
Owned by	Amtrak
Line(s)	Northeast Corridor
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	3
Connections	RTA 202, RTA 203
Construction
Parking	1,977 spaces[2]
Bicycle facilities	Yes (5 Bike lockers)
History
Opened	July 2, 1872 (B&P)
Rebuilt	1943 (PRR), 1989[3]
Traffic
Passengers (2018)	2,984 daily[4]  20.8% (MARC)
Services
Preceding station MARC Following station Bowie State towards Union Station Penn Line BWI Airport towards Perryville
Former services Preceding station Pennsylvania Railroad Following station Patuxent toward Washington, DC Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad Harman toward Philadelphia

History

Odenton station in 1995, with PRR sign on the station house

The Odenton station was originally built in 1872 by the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad which was later merged into the Pennsylvania Railroad on November 1, 1902. The station survived the merger between the New York Central Railroad and the PRR that formed Penn Central. When Amtrak was formed in 1971, it initially retained very limited intercity service to the station - eventually dwindling to 2 trains each way, each day, Monday - Friday. Although the station building closed to the public at that time, it continued to be used as a maintenance-of-way storage facility.

Commuter passenger service has operated continuously from this station since prior to 1900. Since around 1989, the station has been served by MARC, a division of the Maryland Transportation Administration (MTA) who continues to provide commuter service to the area. MARC service has expanded and, currently, sees over 50 trains stopping there each day, Monday through Friday and new but growing service on week-ends and some holidays.[6]

Station layout

The station has two side platforms serving the outer tracks of the Northeast Corridor, with a tunnel connecting the two platforms.

P Platform level	Street level	Exit/entrance, station house, parking
	Side platform
	Track 4	←      Penn Line toward Union Station (Bowie State) ←      Amtrak services do not stop here
	Track 2	←      Amtrak services do not stop here →
	Track 3	←      Amtrak services do not stop here → →      Penn Line toward Penn Station, Martin Airport or Perryville (BWI Airport) →
	Side platform
M	Mezzanine	Connection between platforms

Connecting services

The National Security Agency (NSA) maintains a shuttle service from Odenton station to its Visitor Control Center at its headquarters at Fort George G. Meade; it has done so since 2005. In 2009 the U.S. Army established a similar shuttle service from Odenton station to the Army section of Fort Meade; the NSA operates this service, allowing garrison employees, persons with Fort Meade visitor passes, and U.S. Department of Defense IDs to board.[7]

References

1. "MARC Station Information". MTA Maryland. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
2. "MARC Station Information". Department of Transportation: Maryland Transit Authority. Maryland.gov. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
3. Camp, M. J. "Anne Arundel County, Maryland". Significant Extant Railroad/Railway Structures of North America. Railroad Station Historical Society, Inc. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
4. "December 2018 MARC performance (for Nov 18) - Ridership" (PDF). Maryland Transportation Authority. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
5. "MARC Train System Map". Maryland Transit Administration. Maryland Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on July 27, 2004. Retrieved March 9, 2008.
6. Calo, Michael (December 23, 2008). "Odenton, Maryland: The town a railroad built". Mike's Railroad Page.
7. McCombs, Alan J. (2009-02-23). "Fort Meade launches commuter shuttle service". United States Army. Retrieved 2017-06-25.

External links

Media related to Odenton (MARC station) at Wikimedia Commons

• Station from Google Maps Street View
• Odenton station history