Yes, MTA did study a couple of possible routes that would have placed a Purple Line stop at the Town Ctr/MARC station area. Those options have been eliminated at this point because MTA found a number of challenges with the location. One key reason MTA recommended against the scenario is that it puts the path of the train line pretty far off course, adding many more minutes to riders' commutes. Another reason was that the number of riders using that stop would be small, in comparison to stops at M-Square and Kenilworth Avenue/410. <div>
<br></div><div>MTA did map out how it would work and what kind of things would have to change to accommodate a stop in the town center/MARC area. To do that would have required a number of houses to be removed from Ravenswood or Rittenhouse (depending on their scenario), and - a big issue - one route involved shutting down the crossing at Queensbury to work out a bunch of issues with CSX. It would have sent the rail line down Lafayette and then headed east on 410. Also, they were looking at getting some space from CSX for a storage/maintenance yard, which we said would not work for the town. There are probably some other features I am forgetting, but the short story is that the scenario was drafted in response to a request from Councilman Olson to explore the viability of this option, and after doing a pretty thorough job of exploring, its viability was found to be low. Once they drew up the options, it really seemed like there were bigger down sides in terms of chopping up the town and changing the neighborhood character to be able to accommodate a stop in TC. </div>
<div><br></div><div>The council, with leadership from Kate Sharpe, provided detailed comments to MTA in support of locating the M-Square stop closer to the gosling pond/Raytheon area so that walkers could safely and easily approach the station from the Tuckerman Street path. The other thing the town is advocating for is the elevation of the line so that it is not doing an at-grade crossing at E-W Highway. We also noted support for enhanced design and the opportunity for a transit plaza or 'super station' located on the SE corner of Kenilworth, which already has lots of transit users and pedestrian traffic. </div>
<div><br></div><div>Hope that helps. It will be a significant benefit for Riverdale Park to have two stops located in town. The alignments for those stops are what is under consideration - but we are definitely on the map to have two stops - one serving MSquare and one serving 410/Kenilworth. </div>
<div><br></div><div>Alice Ewen Walker</div><div><br></div><div><div><br>-- <br>Alice Ewen Walker<br>Councilwoman, Ward 1<br>Town of Riverdale Park<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Dec 29, 2008 at 12:44 AM, Sarah Wayland <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:sarah.wayland@gmail.com">sarah.wayland@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">I've actually been trying to post messages about the plans for the<br>
Purple Line when I hear about them. Here's the official website where<br>
you can learn more about the current view of the project:<br>
<a href="http://www.purplelinemd.com/" target="_blank">http://www.purplelinemd.com/</a><br>
<br>
The Maryland Transit Authority hosted 4 public meetings in November to<br>
get feedback from the public. Here's where you can look at the<br>
presentations the MTA gave at the public hearings:<br>
<a href="http://www.purplelinemd.com/aadeis/aadeis-public-hearings" target="_blank">http://www.purplelinemd.com/aadeis/aadeis-public-hearings</a>.<br>
<br>
It's my understanding that right now everything is still negotiable.<br>
Here's a link to the various alternatives being considered:<br>
<a href="http://www.purplelinemd.com/our-study" target="_blank">http://www.purplelinemd.com/our-study</a><br>
<font color="#888888"><br>
-Sarah<br>
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