Shady Grove station

Shady Grove is a Washington Metro station in Derwood in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The station was opened on December 15, 1984 as part of a four-stop extension of the line from Grosvenor–Strathmore station out to Shady Grove. The station is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).

Shady Grove
rapid transit station
Shady Grove station in September 2004, facing to the south.
Location	15903 Somerville Drive, Derwood, Maryland
Coordinates	39°7′12″N 77°9′53″W
Owned by	WMATA
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	2
Connections	Ride On: 43, 46, 53, 55, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 71, 74, 76, 78, 79, 90, 100, 101 Metrobus: Q1, Q2, Q5, Q6 MTA Maryland Bus: 201, 202, 991
Construction
Structure type	at-grade
Parking	5,467 spaces
Bicycle facilities	32 racks, 60 lockers
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	A15
History
Opened	December 15, 1984 (1984-12-15)
Traffic
Passengers (2016)	11,696 daily [1]  7.24%
Services
Preceding station Washington Metro Following station Terminus Red Line Rockville toward Glenmont

Serving as the northwestern terminus of the Red Line, it is the most distant Metro station from downtown Washington, D.C. The station is the location of the Shady Grove Yard, one of the largest storage yards in the Metrorail system.

Location

Shady Grove in January 2017.

Despite its name, Shady Grove station is located within the unincorporated community of Derwood; it takes its name from Shady Grove Road to the north. Much of the surrounding area is industrial or low-density residential in nature, although Rockville Road to the south contains strips of commercial activity.[2] To the west is MD 355 (Frederick Road), a continuation of Rockville Pike, which the Red Line parallels throughout much of its route in western Montgomery County; MD 200A connects the Shady Grove station to I-370 and MD 200, better known as the Intercounty Connector. a toll road extending east to I-95.

The station is the northernmost station in the Washington Metro system, and is approximately equidistant from downtown Washington, D.C. and Frederick. It also the most distant Metro station (by straight-line distance) from the Washington Monument. The distance from Shady Grove to the Washington Monument is 18.39 miles (29.60 km), almost a whole mile further away than the next furthest station in the Metro system, Wiehle–Reston East on the Silver Line.

Transit-oriented development

In order to cope with increasing population growth and subsequent traffic congestion while combating urban sprawl, the Montgomery County Planning Department released the Shady Grove Sector Plan, which aims to act as a guideline for mixed-use growth around the station. The plan emphasises high-density residential and commercial properties within the immediate vicinity of Shady Grove station, with a steady transition to low-density as the distance from the station increases.[2]

The Sector Plan divides the surrounding area into five districts: Metro North, Metro East, Metro West, Metro South, and Jeremiah Park. Combined, there will be over 6,000 residential units within walking distance of Shady Grove station. In addition, the plan encourages the creation of a walkable street grid with defined main streets integrated with a comprehensive open space and park system.[2]

History

The station opened on December 15, 1984[3] as part of a 7-mile (11 km), four-station northwestern extension of the Red Line[4] between Grosvenor–Strathmore and Shady Grove stations.[3]

In 1996, this station was the site of the Washington Metro's second fatal accident when a train arriving at the station overshot the platform and collided with a parked train awaiting assignment, killing the operator of the moving train.[5] The Washington Post reported that the striking train was two months overdue for scheduled brake maintenance. A degradation of brake performance could have played a role in the crash. The crash, which occurred during the Blizzard of 1996, was caused by a failure in the train's Automatic Train Control system.[6]

In 2011, as part of a preliminary study, the WMATA examined the possibility of extending the Red Line past the Shady Grove station and to the Metropolitan Grove station by 2040.[7][8][9][10]

Station layout

The station has one island platform located west of the CSX Metropolitan Subdivision tracks, which carry Amtrak and MARC Trains. There is extensive parking available at this station: a surface lot to the west, and two garages and two surface lots to the east. Access between the platform and parking areas is provided by underpass, located at ground level on the east side and a short escalator below ground level on the west side. Each side of the station also contains a small kiss and ride lot.

P Platform level	Westbound	←      Brunswick Line does not stop here ←      Capitol Limited does not stop here
	Eastbound	←      Capitol Limited does not stop here → ←      Brunswick Line does not stop here →
	Eastbound	← termination track → toward Silver Spring or Glenmont (Rockville) →
	Island platform
	Eastbound	← termination track → toward Silver Spring or Glenmont (Rockville) →
G	Street level	West exit/entrance, parking, buses
M	Mezzanine	East exit/entrance, parking, buses; fare gates, ticket machines, station agent

References

1. "Metrorail Average Weekday Passenger Boardings" (PDF). WMATA. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
2. "Shady Grove sector plan" (PDF). Montgomery County Planning. Retrieved September 20, 2010.
3. Zibart, Eve (December 16, 1984), "A rainbow coalition flocks to Red Line; four stops open amid hoopla", The Washington Post, p. A1
4. Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (July 2009). "Sequence of Metrorail openings" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 9, 2013. Retrieved July 30, 2010.
5. "Railroad Accident Report: Collision of Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Train T-111 with Standing Train at Shady Grove Passenger Station, Gaithersburg, Maryland, January 6, 1996" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. October 29, 1996. Retrieved July 30, 2010.
6. Matt Johnson (June 24, 2009). "A look at Metro's safety systems". Greater Greater Washington. Retrieved August 1, 2015. It's far too early to speculate on the cause of the collision at this time. However, those familiar with the system already suspect that something went wrong in Metro's signaling system that allowed these trains to approach and collide.
7. https://planitmetro.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/TAG_07_Meeting.pdf
8. https://planitmetro.com/2011/06/09/tag-meeting-7-analysis-of-enhanced-surface-transit-metrorail-extensions-and-new-metrorail-lines-through-and-around-the-core/
9. https://ggwash.org/view/9774/metro-planners-contemplate-systems-second-generation
10. https://ggwash.org/view/66209/brown-line-and-the-rosslyn-y-metro-proposals-you-probably-forgot

External links

• WMATA Shady Grove station page
• StationMasters page for Shady Grove station