Rockville station

For other uses, see Rockville Station (disambiguation).

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.

Rockville
The station in July 2022
General information
Location	251 Hungerford Drive and 307 South Stonestreet Avenue Rockville, Maryland United States
Coordinates	39.084238°N 77.146125°W / 39.084238; -77.146125
Owned by	WMATA (station) CSX (tracks)[1]
Line(s)	CSX Metropolitan Subdivision WMATA A Route[2]
Platforms	1 island platform (Red Line) 2 side platforms (Metropolitan Subdivision)
Tracks	4 (2 for each service)
Connections	Ride On: 44, 45, 46, 47, 52, 55, 56, 59, 63, 81, 101, 301 Metrobus: Q2, Q4, Q6, T2
Construction
Parking	524 spaces
Bicycle facilities	Capital Bikeshare, 69 racks and 40 lockers
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	Amtrak: RKV
History
Opened	December 15, 1984 (December 15, 1984)
Passengers
FY 2023	3,560 annually[3] (Amtrak)
November 2022	165 daily[4] (MARC)
2022	1,246 daily[5] (Metro)
Rank	63rd (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
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	98 Church Street, Rockville, Maryland
Coordinates	39°4′58″N 77°8′42″W
Built	1873
Architect	Ephraim Francis Baldwin
Architectural style	Queen Anne
NRHP reference No.	74000961[6]
Added to NRHP	July 18, 1974
Location

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 July 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]

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 2023: State of Maryland" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
4. "MARC Brunswick Line Technical Report" (PDF). Maryland Transit Administration. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
5. "Rail Ridership Data Viewer | WMATA". WMATA. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. 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. 96 (1). National Railway Publication Company. 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.

External links

Media related to Rockville station at Wikimedia Commons

• Rockville, MD – Amtrak
• Rockville, MD – Station history at Great American Stations (Amtrak)
• WMATA Rockville station page

• Rockville Railroad Station, Montgomery County, Inventory No.: M: 26-12-1, including photo in 2003, at Maryland Historical Trust website