Odenton station

Odenton station 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.[6] Both platforms at the station are high-level and are among the longest in the MARC system.

Odenton
MARC train at Odenton station platform
General information
Location1400 Odenton Road[1]
Odenton, Maryland
Coordinates39°05′13″N 76°42′23″W / 39.0869°N 76.7065°W / 39.0869; -76.7065
Owned byAmtrak
Line(s)Amtrak Northeast Corridor
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks3
ConnectionsBus transport Anne Arundel County Office of Transportation: 202, Crofton Connector
Construction
Parking1,977 spaces[1]
Bicycle facilities5 lockers
AccessibleYes
History
OpenedJuly 2, 1872 (1872-07-02) (B&P)
Rebuilt1943 (PRR), 1989[2]
Electrified1935[3][4]
Passengers
20182,984 daily[5]Increase 20.8%
Services
Preceding station MARCFollowing station
Bowie StatePenn LineBWI Airport
towards Perryville
Former services
Preceding station AmtrakFollowing station
BowieChesapeakeBaltimore Airport
Preceding stationPennsylvania RailroadFollowing station
PatuxentPhiladelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore RailroadHarman
Location
Map

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.[7]

Station layout

The station has two side platforms serving the outer tracks of the Northeast Corridor, with a tunnel connecting the two 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.[8]

References

Media related to Odenton (MARC station) at Wikimedia Commons