[RP TownTalk] more Camden line?

Fri Dec 21 02:45:56 UTC 2007

I sure miss riding the MARC train!

The town's ridership has ebbed and flowed since my grandfather rode the
train in the 1950s and 1960s and me in the 1990s and 2000s. There were
several years when the town was threatened with the cancellation of service
at our stop altogether, as ridership was deemed too low, the last time when
MTA was looking to add a stops in Greenbelt and Beltsville (Muirkirk) with a
large commuter parking lots and wanted to keep the overall trip time from
Baltimore to Washington about the same. And there were several years when it
was just me on the 9:03 to Washington and it was a flag stop (meaning that,
if they didn't see me, the train didn't stop in Riverdale Park).

The Hyattsville Station went inactive when the last rider, a long-time
passenger of some stature, retired back when I was a kid. Many of the train
conductors who knew of some of this history on the line have either died or
retired, but I'll bet there might be 1 or 2 who could recall some tidbits
passed on to them.

Berwyn Heights lost passenger service, with a stop surrounded by houses and
a small but loyal group of riders who walked to the station, when Greenbelt
opened, with MTA giving the reason in pubic hearings that those riders could
DRIVE to Greenbelt or College Park. Not exactly the point.

I fear that the opening of the EYA project down the road could lead to calls
to reopen the Hyattsville station at the expense of the Riverdale Park
station (they are probably 1 minute's distance apart on the train). If I
were still on the council, I would be talking to MTA and the state about the
town's desire to maintain/increase service and pushing hard for new riders.
Although the prevailing thought is that because the Calvert family allowed
the B&O through the Riversdale property with the provision that passenger
service be provided, the paperwork on that still needs to be uncovered, and
it did not stop the closing of passenger service for a while when my
grandfather was a rider.

Of course, a vibrant Town Center would help the town's case, as would the
construction of high-density residential within walking distance of the
tracks. It seems that at least one of those things is already in the works. 

I used to take the train to my job at Union Station (15 minutes) and later
to Union Station with the red line connection to Bethesda (40 minutes). It
was faster than the 1.5-hour drive on East-West Highway through Takoma Park,
and we could walk to the station (although not as often as we should have).
There are probably many new residents who are unaware of the possibilities
the train has to offer, and even getting the local real estate agents
involved in touting this amenity in their ads might (1) help sell some
houses and (2) attract people who want to live near public transit. And
shouldn't every new resident receive a train schedule in their welcome
packets?

Just some thoughts.

Chris

-----Original Message-----
From: towntalk-bounces at riverdale-park.org
[mailto:towntalk-bounces at riverdale-park.org] On Behalf Of Dwight Holmes
Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2007 10:56 PM
To: TownTalk
Subject: Re: [RP TownTalk] more Camden line?

Nancy, I've no idea about any history on that -- maybe Chris Davis can fill
us in?

Given there are only 6 trains in the peak direction, morning and evening,
I'd be amazed if they gave up either of the 2 express trains (I can imagine
riders from Baltimore getting pretty irate if they did). 

The new plans recently announced have new rush hour trains being added in
2015.  I've copied the details announced here on the Wiki:
http://rpwiki.wetpaint.com/page/O%27Malley+wants+MARC+to+grow 

Other than that I would think they only basis for lobbying for additional
Riverdale stops would be if EYA and Cafritz developments greatly increase
demand from our end.  Even then, I'd guess this is an uphill battle.
O'Malley's proposals seem pretty ambitious in this day and age of structural
deficits and ongoing bias towards roads rather than mass transit. 

An 8:20 stop would be wonderful, though -- no doubt about it.

On Dec 19, 2007 10:27 PM, Nancy Augustine <nya_md at verizon.net> wrote: 

Neighbors -

Has anyone ever tried to convince Marc to increase service to our Riverdale
station? Is there any interest in trying?   Any suggestions in how we might
go about it? 

There are several Camden line trains that go through without stopping at our
stop;
http://www.mtamaryland.com/services/marc/schedulesSystemMaps/MARC_CAMDEN_LIN
E_HTML.cfm . 

I'm most interested in adding service on the train that comes through
Riverdale (but does not stop here) around 8:15am and arrives at Union
Station at 8:28am. 

In the evening, there's a train that leaves Union Station at 5:51pm and
comes through Riverdale just after 6:00pm.  This train does stop on
"special" schedule days only (certain holidays).  

Nancy

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