Rockville station

Rockville station is an intermodal train station located in downtown Rockville, Maryland, United States. It is served by the Washington Metro Red Line, MARC Brunswick Line commuter trains, and Amtrak Capitol Limited intercity trains.

For other uses, see Rockville Station (disambiguation).

Rockville
The station in July 2022
General information
Location251 Hungerford Drive &
307 South Stonestreet Avenue
Rockville, Maryland
United States
Coordinates39.084238°N 77.146125°W / 39.084238; -77.146125
Owned byWMATA (station)
CSX (tracks)[1]
Line(s)CSX Metropolitan Subdivision
WMATA A Route[2]
Platforms1 island platform (Red Line)
2 side platforms (Metropolitan Subdivision)
Tracks4 (2 for each service)
Connections
Construction
Parking524 spaces
Bicycle facilitiesCapital Bikeshare, 69 racks and 40 lockers
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: RKV
History
OpenedDecember 15, 1984 (December 15, 1984)
Passengers
FY 20224,058 annually[3] (Amtrak)
November 2022165 daily[4] (MARC)
20221,246 daily[5] (Metro)
Rank63rd (Metro)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Harpers Ferry
toward Chicago
 Capitol Limited Washington, D.C.
Terminus
Preceding station MARC Following station
Washington Grove
towards Martinsburg or Frederick
 Brunswick Line Garrett Park
towards Union Station
Preceding station Washington Metro Following station
Shady Grove
Terminus
 Red Line Twinbrook
toward Glenmont
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Gaithersburg
toward Martinsburg
 Blue Ridge
1973–1986
 Silver Spring
toward Washington, D.C.
Gaithersburg
toward Cincinnati (River Road)
 Shenandoah
1976–1981
Preceding station Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Following station
Washington Grove
toward Chicago
 Main Line Garrett Park
toward Jersey City
Westmore
toward Chicago
 Autrey Park
toward Jersey City
Rockville Railroad Station
Location98 Church Street, Rockville, Maryland
Coordinates39°4′58″N 77°8′42″W
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1873
ArchitectEphraim Francis Baldwin
Architectural styleQueen Anne
NRHP reference No.74000961[6]
Added to NRHPJuly 18, 1974

Rockville station opened in 1873 when the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) built their Metropolitan Branch (now the CSX Metropolitan Subdivision). B&O intercity service served the station until 1971; the station continued to be served by commuter trains (which became the Brunswick Line in the 1980s). Amtrak service began in 1973 with the Blue Ridge, followed by the Shenandoah in 1976 and the Capitol Limited in 1981.

The station building, designed by Ephraim Francis Baldwin, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 as Rockville Railroad Station. It was moved slightly to the south in 1981 to make room for Metro construction. The modern Metro station opened on December 15, 1984.

History
Rockville station and freight house in 1978, before relocation
The Capitol Limited at Rockville in 1987

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) opened its Metropolitan Branch on April 30, 1873, providing direct service to Washington, D.C. from the west.[7] Rockville station opened on May 19, 1873; the convenient access to Washington D.C. caused the town's population to more than double by 1890.[8] The station and the 1887-added fright house were designed by Ephraim Francis Baldwin, head architect of the B&O.[9][1] Long distance trains did not stop at the station in the B&O era. The first stop on long distance trains out of Washington was Silver Spring station instead.[10]

The station building is among the few original Metropolitan Branch stations to survive. It is a brick Victorian picturesque structure with some Eastlake detailing, particularly in the roofline and gable decoration.[8] The station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 as the Rockville Railroad Station.[6]

When Amtrak took over intercity passenger service on May 1, 1971, it did not include any service on the B&O; Rockville was served only by three daily commuter round trips to Brunswick and Martinsburg.[11]: 67  Amtrak introduced the West Virginian (later renamed the Potomac Turbo and Potomac Special) in September 1971; it did not stop at Rockville.[11]: 70  The Blue Ridge replaced the Potomac Special on May 5, 1973.[11]: 68  The Blue Ridge was timed to serve as a commuter train; eastbound-only stops at Rockville and Gaithersburg were added on July 1, 1973.[11]: 70  The Shenandoah, which stopped at Rockville in both directions, was added on October 31, 1976.[11]: 68  The Blue Ridge began stopping at Rockville and Gaithersburg in both directions on weekends in 1977.[12] The Shenandoah was replaced by the Capitol Limited on October 1, 1981, at which time weekend service ended on the Blue Ridge[13][11]: 70 

Construction of a modern station for Amtrak, state-subsidized B&O commuter trains, and the new Washington Metro system began in 1981.[1] On March 2, 1981, the old station and freight house were moved about 50 metres (160 ft) to the south to make way for construction.[8] The new station opened on December 15, 1984, as part of a 7-mile (11 km), four-station extension of the Red Line from Grosvenor–Strathmore station to Shady Grove station.[14][15] In 1986, the Blue Ridge was taken over by MARC as part of the Brunswick Line—the state-subsidized ex-B&O commuter service—leaving the Capitol Limited as the only Amtrak service to Rockville.[16]

On January 26, 2010, two Metro employees were killed when they were hit by a piece of track equipment at the station. They were installing new train control equipment in the track bed on the outbound track of the Red Line, towards Shady Grove.[17]

From September 11, 2021, to January 16, 2022, the Metro station was closed due to the Rockville Canopy Replacement Project.[18]

Station layout
Amtrak/MARC platforms in 2012

Rockville station is located on an embankment south of Park Road and east of Hungerford Drive and downtown Rockville, with the Amtrak/MARC platforms just east of the Metro platform. Metro uses a single island platform between the two tracks of the Red Line, while Amtrak and MARC use two low-level side platforms flanking the two tracks of the CSX Metropolitan Subdivision.[1] A pedestrian underpass provides access to the platforms from parking lots, bus bays, and kiss and ride lots on the east and west sides of the station. A footbridge over Hungerford Drive connects the west side of the station to the Montgomery County office buildings and Rockville Town Center.[1]

2F Overpass Pedestrian bridge over Rockville Pike
P
Platform level		 Side platform
Outbound ←      Brunswick Line toward Martinsburg or Frederick (Washington Grove)
←      Capitol Limited toward Chicago (Harpers Ferry)
Inbound →      Brunswick Line toward Union Station (Garrett Park) →
→      Capitol Limited toward Washington, D.C. (Terminus) →
Side platform
Westbound ← toward Shady Grove (Terminus)
Island platform
Eastbound → toward Silver Spring or Glenmont (Twinbrook) →
G Street level West exit/entrance, parking, buses
M Mezzanine East exit/entrance, parking, buses; Red Line faregates

References
  1. "Rockville, MD (RKV)". Great American Stations. Amtrak.
  2. "WMATA MANUAL OF DESIGN CRITERIA" (PDF). Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. August 2014. pp. 8–40.
  3. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2022: State of Maryland" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  4. "MARC Brunswick Line Technical Report" (PDF). Maryland Transit Administration. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  5. "Rail Ridership Data Viewer | WMATA". WMATA. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  6. "National Register Information System – Rockville Railroad Station (#74000961)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  7. "The Metropolitan Railroad" (PDF). The Evening Star. Washington, D.C. April 30, 1873. p. 4.
  8. McGuckian, Eileen (May 1973). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Rockville Railroad Station" (PDF). National Park Service. Includes November 1986 supplement.
  9. Soderberg, Susan C. (1998). The Met: A History of the Metropolitan Branch of the B&O Railroad, Its Stations and Towns. Germantown, MD: Germantown Historical Society. p. 38.
  10. "Baltimore & Ohio Road, Table 13". Official Guide of the Railways. National Railway Publication Company. 96 (1). June 1963.
  11. Sanders, Craig (2006). Amtrak in the Heartland. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-34705-3.
  12. Amtrak National Train Timetables. Amtrak. May 1, 1977. p. 45 – via Museum of Railway Timetables.
  13. Amtrak National Train Timetables. Amtrak. October 25, 1981. p. 32 – via Museum of Railway Timetables.
  14. "Metro Facts 2017" (PDF). Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. 2017. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 24, 2018.
  15. Lynton, Stephen J. (December 10, 1984). "Metro Makes a Long Leap". Washington Post.
  16. West Virginia Department of Transportation, State Rail Authority (March 12, 2013). "West Virginia State Rail Plan: Maryland Area Regional Commuter Service". p. 2. Archived from the original on October 7, 2016.
  17. "Two Metro Workers fatally stuck by track equipment | WMATA". Wmata.com. January 26, 2010. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  18. "Rockville Canopy Replacement Project | WMATA". www.wmata.com. Retrieved September 11, 2021.

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