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