Thanks for all the history, Chris! And, yeah, I've thought even a sign at the station on Queensbury saying something like "Get to Union Station in just 10 minutes" or some such might at least make people aware of the existence of the train and the convenience provided.
<br><br>More bang-for-the-buck might be got from a billboard on the E-W Hwy bridge. "If you were in the train below instead of up here, you could be in downtown DC before you get through the light at Route 1"<br>
<br>And the 'welcome wagon' idea is a great one. <br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Dec 20, 2007 9:45 PM, CHRISTINA DAVIS <<a href="mailto:book-smart@verizon.net">book-smart@verizon.net</a>> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<div link="blue" vlink="blue" lang="EN-US">
<div>
<p><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">I sure miss riding the MARC train!</span></font></p>
<p><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">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 </span></font><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">9:03</span></font><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">
to </span></font><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">Washington</span></font><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">
and it was a flag stop (meaning that, if they didn't see me,
the train didn't stop in </span></font><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">Riverdale</span></font><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">
</span></font><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">Park</span></font><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">
).</span></font></p>
<p><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">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.</span></font></p>
<p><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">Berwyn</span></font><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">
</span></font><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">Heights</span></font><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">
lost passenger service, with a stop surrounded by houses and a
small but loyal group of riders who walked to the station, when </span></font><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">Greenbelt</span></font><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> opened, with MTA giving
the reason in pubic hearings that those riders could DRIVE to </span></font><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">Greenbelt</span></font><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> or </span></font><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">College Park</span></font><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">. Not exactly the point.</span></font></p>
<p><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">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 </span></font><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">Riverdale</span></font><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">
</span></font><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">Park</span></font><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">
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.</span></font></p>
<p><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">Of course, a vibrant </span></font><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">
Town</span></font><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">
Center</span></font><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> 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. </span></font></p>
<p><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">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 </span></font><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">Bethesda</span></font><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">
(40 minutes). It was faster than the 1.5-hour drive on </span></font><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">East-West Highway</span></font><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> through
</span></font><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">Takoma Park</span></font><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">
, 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?</span></font></p>
<p><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">Just some thoughts.</span></font></p>
<p><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">Chris</span></font></p><div><div></div><div class="Wj3C7c">
<p><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">-----Original Message-----<br>
<b><span style="font-weight: bold;">From:</span></b>
<a href="mailto:towntalk-bounces@riverdale-park.org" target="_blank">towntalk-bounces@riverdale-park.org</a>
[mailto:<a href="mailto:towntalk-bounces@riverdale-park.org" target="_blank">towntalk-bounces@riverdale-park.org</a>] <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">On
Behalf Of </span></b>Dwight Holmes<br>
<b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sent:</span></b> Wednesday, December 19, 2007
10:56 PM<br>
<b><span style="font-weight: bold;">To:</span></b> TownTalk<br>
<b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Subject:</span></b> Re: [RP TownTalk] more
Camden line?</span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></font></p>
<p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Nancy,
I've no idea about any history on that -- maybe Chris Davis can fill us in?<br>
<br>
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). <br>
<br>
The new plans recently announced have new rush hour trains being added in
2015. I've copied the details announced here on the Wiki: <a href="http://rpwiki.wetpaint.com/page/O%27Malley+wants+MARC+to+grow" target="_blank">http://rpwiki.wetpaint.com/page/O%27Malley+wants+MARC+to+grow
</a><br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
An 8:20 stop would be wonderful, though -- no doubt about it.<br>
<br>
</span></font></p>
<div>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">On Dec 19, 2007 10:27 PM, Nancy Augustine <<a href="mailto:nya_md@verizon.net" target="_blank">nya_md@verizon.net</a>
> wrote: </span></font></p>
<div>
<div>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Neighbors -</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">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? </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">There are several Camden line trains
that go through without stopping at our stop; <a href="http://www.mtamaryland.com/services/marc/schedulesSystemMaps/MARC_CAMDEN_LINE_HTML.cfm" target="_blank">http://www.mtamaryland.com/services/marc/schedulesSystemMaps/MARC_CAMDEN_LINE_HTML.cfm
</a>. </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">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. </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">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). </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Nancy</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></font></p>
</div>
</div>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br>
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<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br>
<br clear="all">
<br>
-- <br>
"A budget is a moral document." --Jim Wallis <br>
"Don't tell me what you value, show me your budget, and I'll tell you what
you value." --Sen. Joe Biden<br>
Riverdale Park Community Wiki<br>
<a href="http://rpwiki.wetpaint.com/" target="_blank">http://rpwiki.wetpaint.com/ </a></span></font></p>
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</div>
</blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>"A budget is a moral document." --Jim Wallis <br>"Don't tell me what you value, show me your budget, and I'll tell you what you value." --Sen. Joe Biden
<br>Riverdale Park Community Wiki<br><a href="http://rpwiki.wetpaint.com/">http://rpwiki.wetpaint.com/</a>