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.[7] 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.
Location1400 Odenton Road, Odenton, Maryland[1]
Coordinates39.0869°N 76.7065°W / 39.0869; -76.7065
Owned byAmtrak
Line(s)Northeast Corridor
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks3
Connections RTA 202, RTA 203
Construction
Parking1,977 spaces[2]
Bicycle facilitiesYes (5 Bike lockers)
Disabled accessYes
History
OpenedJuly 2, 1872 (B&P)
Rebuilt1943 (PRR), 1989[3]
ElectrifiedJanuary 28, 1935[4] (ceremonial)
February 10, 1935[5] (regular service)
Passengers
20182,984 daily[6]  20.8% (MARC)
Services
Preceding station MARC Following station
Bowie State
towards Union Station
 Penn Line BWI Airport
towards Perryville
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Bowie
toward Washington, D.C.
 Chesapeake Baltimore Airport
toward Philadelphia–Suburban
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.[8]

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.[9]

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. "Pennsy's New Electric Train Breaks Record". The Evening Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. January 28, 1935. p. 28. Retrieved January 31, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "N.Y.-Washington Electric Train Service Starts Sunday on P.R.R." The Daily Home News. New Brunswick, New Jersey. February 9, 1935. p. 3. Retrieved January 31, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "December 2018 MARC performance (for Nov 18) - Ridership" (PDF). Maryland Transportation Authority. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  7. "MARC Train System Map". Maryland Transit Administration. Maryland Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on July 27, 2004. Retrieved March 9, 2008.
  8. Calo, Michael (December 23, 2008). "Odenton, Maryland: The town a railroad built". Mike's Railroad Page.
  9. McCombs, Alan J. (2009-02-23). "Fort Meade launches commuter shuttle service". United States Army. Retrieved 2017-06-25.

Media related to Odenton (MARC station) at Wikimedia Commons


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