Finding Useless Stations in Maryland

[@Thom-TRA]

Sorry my voice sounds weird everyone, I lost it at the beginning of the week. Feeling much better now!!

[@mikecarrington4297]

Glad you are felling better.

[@Thom-TRA]

@@mikecarrington4297 thanks!

[@Daniel-hj8el]

Yeah I was gonna say at least you’ll feel better in future vids

[@SleepTrain456]

I noticed your voice; and I'm glad you're feeling better!

[@jordanthomas145]

@@Thom-TRA Glad you are feeling better

[@djpetesake]

Operation Lifesaver: "Trains can take up to a mile to stop" MARC: "Wave at a train and it will stop for you like a bus"

[@Thom-TRA]

With night vision

[@obkb1]

One would hope that the engineer would be aware that he is approaching a flag stop and therefore reduce his speed accordingly, anticipating that he might have to stop.

[@onetwothreeabc]

@@obkb1 Also the difference between passenger train and freight train.

[@Thom-TRA]

@@obkb1 they do

[@baetsimpson]

Also not a practice exclusive to MARC?

[@gregng25]

As a lifelong Marylander, I appreciate the research you did for this video, and your shots and editing are fantastic! Nicely done. This video ought to inspire people to think about how MARC can be improved.

[@Thom-TRA]

Thanks! Are you an ocean Marylander or a mountain Marylander? Haha

[@gregng25]

LOL, I’m a BaltiMORON

[@variand103]

I second this! Central Maryland deserves better!

[@tonguepiercing]

Bryce has enough screen confidence to scare away any ghosts at underused stations.

[@Thom-TRA]

Everyone needs a Bryce in their life

[@brycebundens6866]

😂😂😂

[@ArtisticHH57]

But what if that ghost is Scratch from the Ghost and Molly McGee?

[@Parborway]

The Camden line might just have the wierdest schedule of any rail line in the United States. I like trains, but I took it once, and decided that I was never going to try and take it again.

[@sdsd4139]

Weekend service would go a long way

[@patrickking5883]

I’ve tried to take it from DC to an Orioles game, but you basically have to go to a noon, weekday game to be able to use it. Even adding weekend trains and 2 DC-bound trains in the evening would improve the situation.

[@ptman088]

The state decided a long time ago to 'abandon' updating the Camden line and put the money in the rest of the system

[@ptman088]

They couldn't totally get rid of it because of the location of some stops.....Jessup for the Prison, Camden because of Camden yds and the downtown location of the station, and Savage because of its good location to ease car traffic to both DC and Baltimore

[@SEVENTEENPOINT1]

Yeah if you can take the Penn line, take it. But I will say it isn’t the worst. That goes to the Massachusetts T Commuter rail.

[@cornkopp2985]

As a maryland resident I really wish we could follow in virginia's footsteps and purchase all of the rail lines in the state from the freight companies. The camden and brunswick lines could be so much better if csx wasn't able to limit the service frequency. But sadly, seeing how the current admin doesn't even want to spend money replacing the ancient light rail cars in baltimore, I doubt we'd get any positive proactive funding...

[@Thom-TRA]

Also, unfortunately both of those lines are CSX’s main lines between major cities. I don’t think they’d even be willing to sell.

[@cornkopp2985]

@@Thom-TRA maybe they could at least do a joint ownership where marc adds one or two lines that can be passenger only? It's sad how underutilized it all is

[@kitchin2]

@@cornkopp2985Alexandria to Richmond is sort of like that, the state bought about half, which I assume is a linear half. The state is adding track in some places. But CSX retains certain rights over the whole width of the corridor I have heard, such as separation from any electric catenary, which is not planned anyway. More interesting might be the VRE Manassas line, which the state recently bought. Norfolk Southern will continue to run on it. That line could really do with some frequency, and north-south bus connections to the Metro. The Amtrak trains that run on it often get bottlenecked also. Another case is North Carolina, which has what must be one of the oldest publicly owned railroads in the country, from Charlotte to Raleigh, and the Amtrak Piedmont runs on it. The state built it in the mid-1800s. But Norfolk Southern leases strong rights over it.

[@jec20721]

While I would love it if that were to happen, there is absolutely no way that CSX would be willing to sell their primary trunk line from Baltimore to the major Midwestern markets. That's their bread and butter (as it was for their predecessor, the B&O). The RF&P isn't as critical to CSX, and certainly not the S Line for the SE HSR or others that have been acquired. Generally, Maryland spends far more on rail transit than VA does. VA only recently created cohesive passenger rail agency (VPRA). I know VRE has had chronic funding issues and huge fare increases basically since its inception. Maryland's next big rail expenditures will be its share of the Douglass tunnel, Susquehanna bridge, and BWI station expansion on the NEC, as well as completing the Purple Line light rail and the recently revitalized Red Line light rail. Unfortunately, that means no or very little investment on either the Camden or Brunswick Lines, which is a shame since the latter really needs it. The next vehicle purchase will probably be new electric locomotives for the Penn Line. As far as LRV's go, the Baltimore vehicles aren't even that old. With proper maintenance and periodic overhauls, LRV's can essentially last a century+.

[@mmi16]

If MARC want their own right of way - let them buy and build it from scratch. CSX has too much freight traffic and would love to be rid of the MARC windows disrupting their operations.

[@BeepasGarage]

I imagine this station is just a remnant of the past that for whatever reason is still being kept open. Horse racing used to be so popular in the 50s and 60s in Maryland. In Bowie, MD there use to be a special train that would come from NYC just to bring horse racing fans for the day to watch the races because Bowie was famous for racing no matter the weather.

[@dankthewolfhog5779]

This is crazy, cause I go to the laurel racetrack a lot, they have a gaming venue called Xanadu that does smash tourneys, so I've seen that station so many times and even gone up on the platform a few times out of curiosity. It is really such a strange station and so crazy I find a video of someone covering it on my feed! Really nice video!

[@meerkatmcr]

There's a few stations served in only one direction in the UK at the moment: South Bank, because its footbridge has just failed a safety inspection (frequent service, and buses provided to get people there in the other direction); Polesworth, which had its footbridge removed during modernisation works some years ago, and which has never had it replaced (one train a day at an anti-social hour); and Pilning, which had its footbridge removed when the line was electrified and which has never had it replaced (two trains daily at unhelpful hours). There's also Tees-side Airport station, which has never been useful as a connection to the airport, so was served by one train a week in each direction for many years. Then the footbridge was finally condemned after years of being held up by scaffolding, and the service was reduced to one train a week in one direction only. Then they condemned the platform structure itself, and the service was suspended. The station has never been officially closed, but it gets no service whatever. It's owned by the airport, who don't want to pay to maintain it.

[@Thom-TRA]

So it sounds like a lot of these stations only have an entrance on one side then?

[@meerkatmcr]

@@Thom-TRA Yes. One entrance, and a footbridge to the other side. That's not uncommon for smaller stations here. Pilning and Polesworth are in relatively small places, so I don't think there's anything on the other side. South Bank is on a 4-track line (only two tracks have platforms) and the footbridge gives access to the platform in the middle of the railway. Tees-side Airport was built for the airport and only has an entrance facing it. On the other side is a main road and fields.

[@andrew_ray]

That's the same thing that happened with the station at South Attleboro, Massachusetts. It's also a two-platform station with an entrance on one side and a footbridge over the tracks that failed an inspection. For a while they closed the station entirely, but now they've worked out a way to reverse-run that part of the line in the PM peak to be able to provide peak direction service from the one available platform. The station is still closed off-peak and weekends until MBTA can find funding to repair the footbridge. The problem is that the station is right on the border between Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The latter doesn't want to pay for repairs because the station is on the Massachusetts side, but Massachusetts doesn't want to pay for repairs because most of the people who use the station are Rhode Islanders because the Rhode Island side is much denser than the Massachusetts side.

[@brycebundens6866]

Jessup and Laurel Racetrack have so much potential for TOD!!! Truly magnificent transit adventure- Thanks Thom☺️

[@Thom-TRA]

Maybe the real TOD is the friends we made along the way

[@brycebundens6866]

@@Thom-TRA 🤣🤣😭

[@dmvspotting]

@@Thom-TRALMAOO

[@josephfisher426]

Jessup is a quiet, peaceful area... when the National Guard isn't doing rifle training at the prison across the road from the train stop! As with a lot of lines that are partially or predominantly freight, its crossings are going to be suitable for TOD mostly to the extent to which the freight use fails to thrive. In the case of the Jessup "station," one side of the tracks is a concrete plant and a concrete pipe/tank manufacturer. The other side is the prison, somewhat less thriving messy businesses, and a single line of properties undervalued because they are across the street from a prison. It's not remarkably promising. The racetrack is mostly in floodplain. But I suppose that the freight businesses closest to Jessup could theoretically be induced to move there.

[@ValentinaxEdits]

Heeyyy I live there!

[@johnchastain5657]

At my former office next to Union Station in DC, our MARC commuters used to entertain us with their morning train horror stories. When they finally got there.

[@Thom-TRA]

lol

[@theOlLineRebel]

I used to use Jessup all the time early in my career until it became more convenient to go to the big new Savage stop. Jessup is where the old road passed thru and is now strictly cut off both sides by the track…you see the bridge long there to bypass. It’s a deep grade downward and I have deep memories of this in the horrible ice storms of ‘93-‘94. It was not a whistle stop then and many of us gathered dark mornings to get on. Also Dorsey was only just then being built and opened so that was not an option.

[@Nex5Network]

Dorsey Station saved my butt to get me to the Red Line after a Maryland commuter bus I waved at blew right by me in July

[@Thom-TRA]

Ugh that’s so frustrating

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

"I can't think of too many other examples in the US where a city pair is connected by two different commuter corridors." I know you're probably thinking of Metra's Rock Island District and Heritage Corridor between Chicago and Joliet, but I think between NYC and Newark counts too! With Newark Penn Station and Newark Broad Street. Newark Penn Station is of course the more famous of the two, but at Newark Broad Street, Newark Broad Street is served by NJ Transit's Montclair-Boonton Line, Gladstone Branch, Morristown Line, and the Newark Light Rail's Broad Street section. After leaving the 1908 Bergen Tunnels (which goes under The Heights of Jersey City), while most trains leaving from Hoboken will head toward Secaucus Junction, trains heading to Newark from Hoboken use the Lower Hack Lift to cross the Hackensack River, and parallels the NEC before splitting away from it, following the Essex Freeway (Interstate 280) and using the Newark Drawbridge to cross the Passaic River. While most of the time they go to Hoboken Terminal, on weekdays, you have the option to take them to Secaucus Junction and NY Penn Station, thanks to the Kearny Connection junction that opened in 1996. Morristown Line on the other hand serves Hoboken on weekdays and Penn Station other times. With the new Amtrak service to Scranton, Newark Broad Street will also be an Amtrak station, meaning Newark will have three Amtrak stations within its borders! Jessup is located near the site of the historic Spurrier's Tavern, a farm and tavern located on the post road between Baltimore and Washington (Route One) where George Washington traveled regularly. It was originally named Pierceland, but the area eventually became Jessup's Cut (which was later shorted to Jessups and finally Jessup), a post village on the B&O. It was named after Jonathan Jessup, a civil engineer who worked on the B&O and the hand-dug "cut" though Merrill's Ridge he managed as a project. The crews took over 200,000 tons of clay from the clay hill that blocked the trains in freezing weather. The clay was turned into bricks by some of the prisoners from the Maryland Penitentiary who also worked on the Maryland House of Corrections when it was being built. The prison closed in 2007 and was referred to several times in the NBC series Homicide: Life on the Street and the HBO series The Wire. Even though the maximum-security prison is now closed, the town still houses a major minimum-security prison, Brockbridge Correctional Facility. Jessup contains many warehouse delivery facilities due to its geographically central location, which is also why it's home to the Maryland Food Center, which includes the Maryland Produce Market and the Maryland Seafood Market

[@Thom-TRA]

Who knew Jessup was once so significant!

[@aaronorel3254]

They just started doing major renovations on the Pimlico racetrack in Baltimore, where the Preakness is run. I believe the plan is that the 2025 Preakness will still be run at Pimlico, then the 2026 Preakness will be run at Laurel racetrack, after which Laurel racetrack will close permanently. I have no idea what will happen to the station or the land the racetrack is on at that point. Ultimately the Camden line is extremely underutilized. I live in Baltimore and I've known several people now who have chosen to live in Laurel because it's midway between Baltimore and DC. Having a commuter rail to go between those cities would be tremendously beneficial and improve their lives in very appreciable ways, not having to own two cars or drive through the horrendous Baltimore/DC rush hour traffic. While I guess they technically do have a commuter rail in the Camden line, the abysmal schedule makes it all but unusable. It would be useful for other purposes too, like giving people at University of Maryland College Park a feasible transit option to Baltimore, effectively connecting the college's two main campuses directly, as the grad school is right in downtown Baltimore basically across the street from Camden station. It would also give those folks a one-seat ride to DC union station-they have great access to DC already on the Green line, but would have to transfer to get to Union station. MTA actually used to run a special train for gamedays at Camden Yards in the 90s, back when the stadium was new, but that was fairly short-lived.

[@Thom-TRA]

The line is double tracked and terminates at a much more desirable location in Baltimore. The whole line screams potential!

[@mrvwbug4423]

The old Laurel Racetrack site could be a good spot for TOD once the racetrack closes, but they would really need to spruce up the station and increase service on the line to make it attractive for TOD. College Park, MD is better connected to DC than the rest of Maryland since it has a DC metro stop, that happens to be right across the street from the headquarters of NOAA so gets a TON of federal employee traffic.

[@DAK4Blizzard]

Great comment. I think it'd be cool to copy part of the white stables' architecture in future development at Laurel Racetrack. I wonder if part of the problem with slow development along that corridor is that it can involve both Howard and Anne Arundel Counties, as the rail line is the border. (It should've been the BW Parkway farther east, as that more definitively divides development.) The problem for the Jessup station is the nearby prison (but it's more sensible to have the prison have out there as opposed to in Baltimore). If development can't replace the concrete plant, it may be worth cutting losses and removing that station. I consider the Dorsey station part of Jessup, anyway.

[@rikkichunn8856]

Delightfully bizarre, Thom! So, I've figured out what Laurel Racetrack station is for. Three groups of people: 1. Railfans who travel from Washington to Baltimore, then back to Laurel Racetrack. The next day, they catch the train into Washington DC. That's why I specified "railfans"--I can't imagine anyone else who would want to do that. 2. Wealthy race fans who own a home in Washington and one in Baltimore. They take the train from Baltimore, then gamble away their Baltimore home at the track, so they have to go home to their one remaining home in Washington. The next day. Problems with this. First of all, no gambler ever plans on losing big. Second, if they're broke after a day at the races, where do they spend the night waiting for the next train? 3. Workaholics who work for the federal government in D.C. They take the train into work, not making any plans for ever coming home again. BTW, you left out the most interesting part of your adventure. How did you get to Laurel Racetrack if you couldn't take the train?

[@Thom-TRA]

We took an Uber, after doing some shopping nearby!

[@iammaxhailme]

realistically you could walk from laurel racetrack station to the main laurel if you were REALLY desperate. It's only about 1.5 miles

[@Thom-TRA]

@nothanks9503 no it’s not

[@ebikeengineer]

@@Thom-TRA My measurements put it at 3400 feet if you walk along RT 1 using the sidewalk and don't mind walking through the short wooded spot on the far side of the tunnel. Otherwise Google Maps puts it at 1.8 miles.

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

The one-direction train at Laurel Racetrack reminds me of Aqueduct Racetrack in NYC! The B&O warehouse at Camden Yards was saved for the Oriole Park thanks to both Janet Marie Smith and Eric Moss. Eric was looking for architecture thesis ideas. He first tried Europe, thought about forts, but decided to return to the States to look for something. While attending a game at Fenway in the late 80s, Eric was fascinated with the Green Monster and its height. Moss decided that for his thesis, he'd design a stadium that was formed by its surroundings. Around this same time, the Orioles were looking for a location for a new ballpark. He visited the city, checked the sites, saw the warehouse and said, "That's my Green Monster". He drew up and built a model and competed with other proposals. It wasn't until the Orioles saw Moss's presentation that they realized they could save it. Despite this, he didn't win, and HOK Sport which originally proposed a generic stadium before changing their design and proposing to keep half the warehouse won and got credit for keeping the whole warehouse instead of Moss. The warehouse was used by the B&O through the 1960s but was mostly vacant by the 1970s due to the use of trucks and newer, more efficient single-floor warehouses located in industrial parks elsewhere. In the entire history of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, no player has ever hit the warehouse in a game. Ken Griffey Jr. is the only player to hit the B&O Warehouse in fair territory, though it was with a non-regulation baseball in an exhibition. He did so in the 1993 MLB Home Run Derby, in which he tied Juan González before losing in a playoff. Camden Station is named after Camden Street, which in turn was named after Charles Pratt, the 1st Earl of Camden. So Pratt Street, one of Baltimore's primary throughfares, was also named after him! As a lawyer and judge he was a leading proponent of civil liberties, championing the rights of the jury, and limiting the powers of the State in leading cases such as Entick v Carrington. He held the offices of Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, Attorney-General and Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, and was a confidant of Pitt the Elder, supporting Pitt in the controversies over John Wilkes and Pitt's support of the American position during the run-up to the American Revolution. During his life, Pratt played a leading role in opposing perpetual copyright, resolving the regency crisis of 1788 and championing Charles James Fox's Libel Act 1792 (which restored to juries the right to decide what was libel and whether a defendant was guilty, rather than leaving it solely to the judge). He started the development of the settlement that was later to become Camden Town in London.

[@Thom-TRA]

I hate it when people steal other people’s ideas like that… Glad to hear from you again, Kim!

[@HachiMatt]

Wow thanks for writing this all out... Fascinating!

[@hallnonsensical104]

Man, you know a station has terrible service when the instinct is to thank the train conductor for actually stopping! 13:34 Great video as always Thom!

[@theOlLineRebel]

The Laurel course had its own station as in the day, horse-racing was a huge thing and many tracks had their own spurs to get people to the racetrack. Laurel got lucky, or maybe they built it there knowing that would be handy with thru traffic. The statue is Billy Barton, who was a great steeplechaser from nearby Belmont estate and is buried there.

[@jec20721]

Some important context: Jessup and Laurel Racetrack are 100 year old B&O railroad stations that were built in an era when rail was the only practical regional transportation. With the arrival of common car ownership and highways they fell out of use like most stations of the time. With the wave of states taking over operations of legacy commuter railroads in the Northeast in the 1980's (including MARC taking over the B&O/Penn Central lines), there was a resurgence in commuter rail use at many of these historic stations, specifically the ones that saw a lot of surrounding suburban growth (like Dorsey and Laurel on the Camden Line, and Germantown and Gaithersburg on the Brunswick Line). Especially as highway commutes lengthened with congestions. Note that in the DC area many inner MARC stations compete with Metro (Riverdale Park, College Park, and Greenbelt on the Camden Line), which as a rapid transit has much better service. Jessup is entirely surrounded by industrial uses and the state prison. In most other states it would have been closed long ago for purely fiscal reasons, and MD actually *did* try to close Jessup and St. Denis (which is located in a historic suburb but competes with the far better served Halethorpe station) during the 2008-2010 financial crisis , but there was a lot of local pushback and the plan was shelved. Closing any transit station sensible or not is politically verboten in a deep blue state. Laurel Racetrack is an interesting enigma, since it's only real purpose is nostalgia of an era when people would ride the train to see races. Kind of like NYCTA's Aqueduct Racetrack station in Queens. However, there is a large mixed-use project in-development immediately north which could drastically improve its usefulness, if the schedule is adjusted so that more trains serve the station.

[@shayneweyker]

Jessup is not only industrial, with lots of warehouse-type buildings, it's also kind of poor relative to areas around it. So retail/entertainment businesses looking to locate there are going to be big-space stuff where the cheaper rent really matters like go-kart tracks. IIRC Jessup also has higher crime than adjoining towns. But if you didn't have a car, lived near the line, and worked at one of the nearby industrial places you might use it. So it may be pretty important to those people. Finally if you're in a low wage job like a lot of those in Jessup it might make sense to find a different one closer to home rather than pay to commute to it. Which could keep ridership down.

[@aspiringtechnician]

More Marc content please

[@Thom-TRA]

Okay!

[@AlexDemarais]

​@@Thom-TRAyes please more MARC! I used to ride the Camden line daily for years and a deep dive on the rest of the Camden line would be amazing. Such a bizarre and under utilized line, even with the freight ownership I imagine it could be so much better service than it currently is, and someone like you could really shine some light on it ☀️

[@christapanek7821]

The pedestrian tunnel was built in 1911 yes, but there was also a sky bridge from the platform into the grandstand entrance. This was done to break up congestion from all of the foot traffic. Once automobiles were gaining popularity, the other tunnel was built in the 50s as the howard county lot used to be a huge parking lot. And the sky bridge was then demolished in the 50s to enclose the grandstand entrance. Its funny you can still see an old bench on the roof of the "new" entrance. Where i am currently sitting under.

[@mikekelley794]

Yes, Thom, I am glad you are feeling better. When I started listening I thought you sounded like you were getting over a cold. Thanks for another great video. I look forward to seeing them!

[@Thom-TRA]

Thank you! Feel better today than all the previous week

[@chrisrudy1]

Dorsey - the last mile is terrible. No sidewalks and only 2 busses which seem mostly designed for commuters from further afield. Thousands of residents and workers within 1 mile of the station - but private property, fencing, and bridges without pedestrian pathways are the only way over Route 100. What a bummer. Thanks for the video!

[@ebikeengineer]

Preach it! I live less than 3 miles from the station and would bike there if there was safer infrastructure to do so. But of course the country can spend over $1 million on a crossing to Kit Kat Road were nobody lives and there are only a few small businesses, but not a single $1 for Columbia-type paths or a bike lane down 103.

[@SomeRamdomAhole]

The Camden line is my home MARC line (Riverdale Park is my station ) and I honestly keep forgetting Laurel Racetrack exists lol

[@Thom-TRA]

Riverdale is a nice station!

[@jeremiahtaylor1817]

One good example on one way service is on the (A) line of the New York City subway. The Brooklyn/Manhattan bound trains stop at Aqueduct Racetrack, at all times, but the Queens Bound trains skip Aqueduct Racetrack and stop at the Aqueduct-North Conduit Avenue station. Granted, there is no queens bound platform for Aqueduct Racetrack, but that’s a good example. In order to Transfer to a Far Rockaway/Rockaway Park bound train, you have to ride Brooklyn bound one stop to Rockaway Boulevard and transfer.

[@Thom-TRA]

Yeah, that’s the main difference: there’s no platform. And it’s easy to just go one station farther and then backtrack. Here there’s a platform and it’s basically impossible to take the train back.

[@Steven-mv4bb]

I really wish the MARC Camden had service similar to the Penn. I'd use it all the time!

[@Thom-TRA]

I’m sure a lot of people would!

[@markbrusberg9808]

Hey Steven - I don't know what your situation looks like, but I live in Laurel and drive to Odenton now - same price and an extra 5 minutes on the road each way. A lot less aggravation if you can work out the extra mileage driving.

[@SandBoxJohn]

The station at Laurel Racetrack is a legacy station going back to when trains served the station for horse racing meet at Laurel Racetrack. There use to be spur off the Amtrak Northeast north of Bowie State University that served a station for horse racing meet at Bowie Racecourse.

[@Thom-TRA]

I’m actually making a video about that spur, because it actually has a fascinating history behind it!

[@SandBoxJohn]

@@Thom-TRA Not only was it used by racing fans going to the horse racing meets, it was also used to load and unload horses that were trained, stabled and or raced at the track. The Washington Baltimore & Annapolis Railroad also had a station there. The parking lot off the first turn still had tracks telegraphing through the pavement in the 1970s when I used to go to the track almost weekly. On an aside note, there typically was a hand full of Metrobus operators betting the horses along with me.

[@markbrusberg9808]

As a former commuter using the Camden Line (I used the Laurel Station), I can attest the whole line is useless. We shared the line with CSX freight, and we were forever having to deal with delays due to train breakdowns, switches not being in the correct throw, etc. CSX would also park their trains at the stations overnight, and passengers would have to board on the opposite side of the track, which wasn't always announced. The Penn Line is much better, though not perfect.

[@davidu4758]

There's no reason to get on or off at Laurel R/C unless there are races - even then, dubious. Laurel Park will be closing permanently in 2026 so that stop will probably be decommissioned in the near future.

[@Thom-TRA]

There is a whole neighborhood to the north of it

[@rockvilleraven]

@@davidu4758 When they renovate Pimlico, they will move the Preakness there for one year before it closes.

[@Lavoisier1794]

​@@Thom-TRAMy understanding is there were already TOD plans for the area before the announcement that the track would close in the future (on the other side of the tracks). There was some controversy where they wanted to close the historic Laurel station and then build a new Laurel Park station. There ended up being a compromise in the mid 2010s but I don't believe anything has actually changed or been implemented since then. Iirc, the compromise involves alternating Laurel stops between Laurel and Laurel Park and eliminating a couple flag stops at other pts in the line As to why the MARC maintains two nominal flag stops for no apparently good reason, my guess is that is to keep them eligible for future federal funding if they decide to utilize them.

[@josephmiller5429]

This reminds me of some of the stations on the Metra Electric line and the South Shore Line from when I lived on the south side in Chicago. Now that I live in DC i've got a whole new world of weird rail lines to discover.

[@sdsd4139]

I always wanted to stop at Laurel Racetrack! Great vid.

[@Thom-TRA]

Still wanna go? Haha

[@davinp]

Since the penn line is not owned by CSX, they don't have limits on how many trains they can operate unlike VRE which CSX limits the trains which is VRE is unable all day and you see trains are stored during the day at the railyard in 1:30

[@taoliu3949]

The main bottleneck for the VRE is the Long bridge which is at capacity. They are currently constructing a second bridge to double capacity which will allow the VRE and Amtrak to expand services starting in 2030. Virginia has done wonders to improve their rail system the past decade and continues to do more.

[@TheRoadTripChannel]

FYI - MARC is the acronym for Maryland Area Rail Commuter. 😃👍 Glad you're feeling better, Thom. 😊

[@ck4426]

Wow!!! A big train to flag down and a platform for a train that doesn’t stop! Thank you for bringing this unique experience to us. Your historical research and investigation was once again really awesome!!!

[@Thom-TRA]

Thank you! So weird, isn't it?

[@ck4426]

@@Thom-TRA VERY!!!

[@iammaxhailme]

Camden not running on weekends is a goddamn travesty. I used to live by camden yards and I had to drive to BWI to get on Penn/Amtrak have a fun weekend visit to DC. I probably could have got to Baltimore Penn somehow but since I did own a car (sadly basically mandatory for like 95% of Baltimoreans without a WFH job) I just dealt with driving to BWI

[@taoliu3949]

You can light rail to Penn from Camden, but the light rail has been sucking lately.

[@rockvilleraven]

@@taoliu3949 When I went to see the Commanders play the Ravens, the MTA had free supplemental bus service to Camden Yards from North Linthicum Station and it left at 10:15 a.m. so I got on that and just walked south on Ravenswalk to M&T Bank Stadium.

[@97nelsn]

1:11 Newark has 2 stations served by NJ Transit going to NYC and Hoboken (though the waterfront connector via Newark Penn Station is barely used but trains serving Broad Street Station have both NYC and Hoboken service, yet Midtown Direct service uses the Northeast Corridor to get to NY Penn Station)

[@HistoryisAwkward]

Couple of things. Jessup is a 20 minute walk from the Jessup Correction Center. I would not be surprised if release schedules aren't, or weren't coordinated. The Racetrack stop is in a weird spot as Laurel Racetrack is always rumored to be used for more things...but isn't. I think both of these are legacy stations that are kept for different reasons. If you are released from Jessup correction with a train ticket...that is your option. And for the race track, if they ever did make Laurel Racetrack the replacement for Pimlico or grew it into something bigger, you would want that stop and land to be exist and be expanded on.

[@Super-Suchi]

I was just thinking "huh TRA hasn't uploaded in a week, hope thom is doing okay" and just like that you upload. I'm also dealing with a hoarse voice too so I'm the same boat as you, glad you're feeling better though!

[@Thom-TRA]

So you gave it to me! Just kidding haha

[@drbob3]

Another example of parallel commuter lines is the Metra Electric District Blue Island Branch and the Metra Rock Island District that both go from Blue Island, Illinois to downtown Chicago (although, like the 2 lines you mention in Maryland, they end up in different stations downtown).

[@ssbmoro]

Thanks for reviewing Maryland's stations and trains! there's a roadcrossing close enough to my house that i can hear the trains and i'm between Jessup and Dorsey, but i dunno the actual routes/track system

[@anthonywarrener1881]

Sorry I pressed. “Send “ before I had finished ! The main reason I like the Camden line is the chance of seeing passing freight trains. Your news about the least used and useless stations is surprising, and one has to wonder why they remain in use ! Many thanks.

[@Thom-TRA]

Happens to the best of us!

[@teecefamilykent]

Weird, but great video sir! Got ya smartcards ready for ya.

[@haj8579]

Sometimes I take a bus to Lankwitz station to take the S-Bahn train to U7, which gets me back home. That station has only one track and one platform(probably because of lack of space), but still serves both directions. It feels really weird to learn that there is a station which does opposite.

[@Thom-TRA]

Wow that’s really interesting. I’m gonna look it up now.

[@seanlevorse2814]

I got really excited when I saw that MARC has a train out to Harper's Ferry, WV. Only to discover that the line hardly has any service and doesn't run on weekends.

[@Thom-TRA]

Same! I’ve wanted to do a day trip or even a weekend but it’s just impossible

[@updr1ft]

If I had a nickel for every time a us city had a racetrack train station served by a single direction only I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice

[@Thom-TRA]

Go buy yourself something nice that’s 10 cents, you’ve earned it

[@mrvwbug4423]

Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, CA has its own Metrolink station, but pretty sure it's served in both directions and is on the normal stopping pattern for local ML trains.

[@97nelsn]

I almost went to Maryland today but I cancelled my Amtrak trip last minute. This will do for now.

[@Thom-TRA]

@@97nelsn now you’ve seen the bad parts, time to see the good parts haha

[@97nelsn]

@@Thom-TRA I was about to, well mainly DC

[@verdatum]

I lived in Laurel for 13 years, and have lived in Jessup for 14. I did not know the Jessup station existed. I only knew about the Laurel station because decades ago we showed that the Racetrack was a horrible space to build a (then) Washington Redskins football stadium. The Racetrack is hardly the draw that it was in, say, the 1970s or earlier, but at least the station once had a point. But the Jessup station is in the middle of a wasteland, and from my understanding, it pretty much has always been that way. Laurel Main Street has a good and active Marc station, and near to Jessup is a perfectly good station in Annapolis Junction which is woefully underutilized, given it is now a massive tech business hub.

[@SirNick5150]

Nice enjoyed the post. I take Camden on a regular basis (shocker!) for me I live in Bethesda (DC area) - drive to and board MARC at Greenbelt and work at University of Maryland Medical Center so get off at Camden. I agree that’s this line is crappy, but it’s better than getting to Union in DC and Penn in Baltimore. It usually takes me 25 minutes to get to each of these stations adding the commute time quite a bit. I have to usually RUN for the last train that leaves at 6:15 PM. The schedule also is not conducive to healthcare workers who typically work from 0700-1930. It still beats driving 95.

[@Thom-TRA]

Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@MrCateagle]

Thank you for confirming the origins or the two lines; origins that I suspectef from their descriptions.

[@bryn494]

Just south of Leicester, UK, is a now defunct special one-way station. Vendors would alight with their goods for market and walk about a mile to the City station when it closed. The cattle market supplied meat for the City ;)

[@jordanthomas145]

Excellent video. I live in Baltimore Maryland. I have used the Marc Train to visit Washington DC

[@kevinb7810]

❤ hey guys! MARC TRAIN rider here starting in 2008 via Penn. Now I live in Laurel since 2020. I 100% agree on all the content!! I’m closest to Savage. Camden is its own beast for sure!! Great video! I laughed a lot.

[@Thom-TRA]

Thanks for watching! How do you like Laurel?

[@mgzuck]

I hope as they build more of the transit oriented development by the Laurel Park station it's service will be improved, but time will tell. The racetrack itself is going to close in 2026 so more land there will become available for redevelopment, on top of the building already going on.

[@Thom-TRA]

I hope so too!

[@frankbernotimm3031]

Let me add this: I returned recently from a trip to the US. Comparing New York, Chicago and Boston with rail- and light rail in Germany, I must consider, that the American networks are quite less accessible. The stairs are often very steep, escalators are rare. This is unfavorable either! - We have a lot of areas in Germany with no trains at all, not a single one. And the big talk about the traffic turnaround...

[@Thom-TRA]

It really greatly depends on the age of the infrastructure

[@warmike]

0:58 My city has an arrangement like this! Saint-Petersburg has 2 lines to Gatchina. They used to start at 2 different stations in Saint-Petersburg (the Baltiysky vokzal and the Varshavsky vokzal), but in the 2000s Varshavsky vokzal was closed, and now these 2 lines start at the same station (but terminate at two different stations in Gatchina, also named Baltiysky vokzal and Varshavsky vokzal)

[@Thom-TRA]

Interesting!

[@Yanick.R]

When I saw the video title I assumed my neighborhood station, St. Denis, would make the list. It’s plagued with similar schedule problems that you’ve described making it difficult for me to use unless my trips align perfectly with commuter traffic. I was surprised to know my stop wasn’t the worst!

[@Thom-TRA]

Yeah St. Denis is a (dis)honorable mention!

[@Yanick.R]

@@Thom-TRA fair enough! 🤣 As a train fan, a part of me cries every time I have to take the Penn line instead of Camden… but I need to make it home!

[@MJofLakelandX]

I guess it's made even worse since MTA discontinued the Yellow to Relay (Guiness) because of "low ridership" 🙄

[@taoliu3949]

St Denis looks like like something from a horror movie after dark. Got off there once at night, the station was horrifying creepy with its shack.

[@SEVENTEENPOINT1]

Used to use Dorsey as my local station. Love that station.

[@anthonywarrener1881]

Thank you for this fascinating video ! I use the Camden line whenever I am in the Baltimore area, as it is a very pleasant alternative to the Penn line, as of course it is a diesel 🚥

[@Thom-TRA]

Diesel, your favorite!

[@paulcastillo1310]

Great video and hope you feel better soon

[@Thom-TRA]

Thank you!

[@paulcastillo1310]

@@Thom-TRA your welcome

[@baldguy3960]

Thank you!

[@lego4virgo]

As a Laurel resident, I didn't know there was a Laurel Racetrack Station. Of course we have the Laurel and then Muirkirk MARC stations further down, which are both decently used. But I think the issue with the Camden line light usage from Laurel into DC is that a.) Metrobus and Greenbelt Metro Station are serving most of the folks going into DC b.) Rte. 295 - folks use that to drive into DC/VA for work, especially FedGov workers. Right now, Maryland is probably spending a bulk of transportation funds into paying for expansion and update of the Green Line as well as the Purple Line, which will connect Bethesda and New Carrollton, MD, to each other. I would like to see more funds spent on updating the MARC, but I don't know if it could be justified with Metro being able to serve the DC/MD/N. VA regions so easily, relatively speaking.

[@jammes122]

I saw this video title and thumbnail and I totally thought you were gonna also cover St. Dennis station. I’ve never gotten on or off there, but it’s like they basically just dropped a ramshackle shelter there with 12-15 feet of platform and decided to call it a station stop. Having never seen Laurel Racetrack station before, the state of the place is kinda shocking. I’m surprised it hasn’t been closed down.

[@Thom-TRA]

St. Denis is relatively well off compared to these two 😂

[@MJofLakelandX]

At least St. Denis has Guiness Brewery nearby 😅

[@jammes122]

@@Thom-TRAWell it does have over 5 times the daily ridership of both Jessup and Laurel Racetrack 😂

[@etbadaboum]

You really turned it into a very interesting, well-edited video! Impressive.

[@Thom-TRA]

Thank you very much!

[@SleepTrain456]

As usual, I found this quite informative! Now, I have learned about the two least useful stations in Maryland: one station in Jessup that is served by one round trip per day, and another station, Laurel Race Track, that is served by three southbound round trips... and no northbound trains, despite having a northbound platform! I wonder why they don't use the northbound platform that's already there? I'll update the Wikipedia page for the Laurel Race Track station, to help emphasize it's one-directionalness. Thanks for the video!

[@Thom-TRA]

Thanks for doing that!!

[@SleepTrain456]

@@Thom-TRA, you're welcome!

[@taylorrenyo]

I live in laurel Maryland and honestly I didn’t think people use that station but now I know

[@MJofLakelandX]

Granted, we're talking about MDOT MTA here. We don't even have a legitimate plan for the future to improve services. Just a "wait & see" strategy, going strong for 50 years. Don't expect MARC Camden Line to change for another century or so

[@Thom-TRA]

Yep. How anyone stays on in that office with the budget they get beats me.

[@davinp]

At 0:38 showing the man walking across the tracks. In Virginia, they don't allow that. The stations with a double platform have a fence between the tracks to prevent walking across them. VRE wants to eliminate the one at Alexandria which is an Amtrak crossing

[@kr46428]

The interior of those MARC II cars (apparently built by Sumitomo and Nippon Sharyo) reminds me a lot of the similar Comet cars historically used by NJ Transit - the 3+2 seating, the lighting, the vents, the seats, and the wood panels all look like the same design. I wonder if there is a reason how that happened? Function dictates form? 🤔 Anyway, a very interesting video, thank you! 👍

[@pureessenceofgaming1745]

Jessup is probably open because it has a huge prison by the station and the the line goes to Dc and Baltimore and its is surrounded by a lot is industrial in Jessup. I could understand you don't get why a prison/jail would need a transit stop but you will be surprised how well connected to transit jails/prison's are connected to transit in America. (most likely to help families to see loved on visitors hours )

[@bengrabenstein2929]

Jessup is a likely required stop because of the State Penitentiary, which is within walking distance. The track runs parallel to US 1, which is littered with motels that date back to segregation restrictions. The corridor has a lot of mixed history. George Wallace was nearly assassinated in Laurel.

[@AVM65DT]

Jessup, MD also has a truck stop and isn’t far from Columbia, MD.

[@Steven-mv4bb]

There are a few mid-sized employers within a short bike ride of Jessup, also.

[@baseballfan99]

There are such stations in the U.K. and they usually stay open due the cost of closing them. They often have a token service which may be a low as once a week and often inner city suburbs, such as Ardwick in Manchester which have a much better bus service and the station is badly sited. The latest trick is to come up with another reason e.g. Teesside Airport where they said the platform is unsafe. They may provide a token bus journey instead. Ardwick however won a reprieve when they built a new access bridge.

[@Thom-TRA]

So what costs are associated with closing a station? I’ve always been interested in that aspect of British railways

[@baseballfan99]

@@Thom-TRA It’s mainly the costs of public consultation which may then result in opposition etc, then all the legal costs of formal closure and decommissioning of the infrastructure etc. Most stations that are formally closed are due to a replacement station being built close by such as Angel Road in London being replaced with Meridian Water which is much better sighted. www.orr.gov.uk/rail-guidance-compliance/network-access/station-depot/closures

[@taoliu3949]

​@@Thom-TRA The railroads probably have a charter that requires them to provide so and so service. Historically American railroads had them as well before they asked Congress to absolve them of these obligations and Amtrak was created to takeover these obligations.

[@afr11235]

One of the big issues with Camden is that it’s a freight line. You can see from a map that it’s actually the more direct route from DC to Baltimore, but CSX heavily restricts the number and timing of MARC trains. Combined with *cough* freight-level track speeds, and it’s just not as good as it could be. (Even in rush hour, it can be faster to take the light rail to penn to dc than direct from Camden)

[@JasonWeiss-g2b]

Laurel Racetrack has the weird schedule to allow you to get back to DC after the races are done. Post time is 12:25 and there are no midday trains that would get you there for the start. But the races end around 4, so you can get back to DC that way.

[@Thom-TRA]

So… how do people get there? You realize this still makes no sense, right?

[@JasonWeiss-g2b]

@@Thom-TRA It is still bad, people can come by Uber or Taxi or walk in from a bus stop.

[@rikkichunn8856]

I'm familiar with a few other places where two suburban lines serve the same city pairs. There are some in the Philadelphia area, where SEPTA runs an old Pennsy line and a former Reading line to the same town. And in the Chicago area, METRA runs three lines to Blue Island--the Electric Line Blue Island Branch, and both branches of the Rock Island Line serve Blue Island. But no place else in the country do you find a "suburb" as big or well-known as Baltimore. Oh wait--there is another example: Caltrain between San Francisco and San Jose. And it's interesting because originally, most passengers on the line traveled into San Francisco for work or pleasure. But now, San Jose is larger than San Francisco, and most commuters are headed for Silicon Valley destinations for work. The other train between these city pairs is BART, which runs to a neighborhood of San Jose (and plans to extend further into the city.)

[@suntard7670]

hey man, nice to see another Marylander!

[@Thom-TRA]

Do you mean the conductors or the other passengers? Because neither me nor Bryce are Marylanders 😂

[@gregggyf]

Good Afternoon Thom, SOMEONE'S GOT TO EXPLAIN FOR THAT ONE WAY SERVICE AT THE RACETRACK. But I guess that if this has been going on.... no one must really care. Do have a good day.

[@kzooaviation]

My only thought is race day service only.

[@bjm676]

But after the races? Maybe if you win big you can get a limo 😂​@@kzooaviation

[@theOlLineRebel]

As I recall it was both sides, but one side long ago cut off. Still have stupid chain link gate at one side.

[@kzooaviation]

@@theOlLineRebel ah

[@jmharper60]

Rode the Penn line from Baltimore to DC in the late morning to see a Washington Nationals game, then was able to ride the Camden line back to Baltimore for an Orioles game that night. Luckily I was staying in Baltimore that night, as it would have been hard if not impossible to do the reverse! Too bad there is no event service for ballgames and such.

[@Thom-TRA]

Wow, a double hitter!

[@johndixon-l1c]

I liked this video very much. I live in MD.

[@Thom-TRA]

Thanks!

[@s99614]

I always wondered why the racetrack wasn't used as a commuter train stop because it has a lot of parking. Instead, the train stops in Laurel which has very little parking.

[@Thom-TRA]

It’d be good if they could do both, a stop for density and a stop for cars

[@nelsonramos5826]

Thanks 😊

[@aresee8208]

I live in a neighborhood about a 15 minute walk from Camden Station in Baltimore. One day about 15 years ago I was about to get in my car in the morning to go to work when a gentleman with a brief case called to me. He wanted to know where the Marriott Inner Harbor Hotel was. Well, he was walking in the completely wrong direction, away from the hotel which is located two blocks north of Camden Station. Turns out he was a French guy on a business trip to DC, and he was trying to get to a meeting in Baltimore. He had taken MARC from DC to Camden Station, but when he left the station, for some reason he headed due east instead of north. And why he turned south once he crossed Howard St I have no idea. By the time he got to my house he was already almost a mile out of his way. I ended up bundling him into my car and drove him to the hotel.

[@roberthuron9160]

Interesting,that MARC has DD's,like NJ Transit! Same carbuilder?? The Long Island's are a different breed of cats,and so are the locomotives! Anyway,there are two racetrack stations on public transport in the NYC Metropolitan area:they are Aqueduct(on the NYCTA A line),and Belmont[on the Long Island Railroad mainline]! Both stations are only open during racing seasons,so the only way,to get there,is to go to the races(literally)! Thanks for an interesting sidebar to transit history,and your persistence to follow it through! Oh,to be 16 again! Thank you,guys!! Thank you 😇 😊!

[@Thom-TRA]

They do look very similar, don’t they?

[@bkark0935]

LoL, I’m quite sure Bryce and Thom are both in their 20s

[@drhenning53]

I am not sure the old Belmont station is still used except for the Belmont Race which is not being held at Belmont while the grandstand is rebuilt and winterized which will then lead to the closing of the Big A. Since there is also a Casino at the Big A, will they keep the subway stop running??? Belmont and now UBS arena are now served by the Elmont UBS stop regularly used on Hempstead Line and other main line trains before and after events at UBS...

[@roberthuron9160]

@@drhenning53 My apologies,I really don't know the current status of those sundry racetracks,and the proposed casinos,and the internal politicking, is far from sanity! Worse,I am now in Florida,where the rain falls,and the sun shines,lol! Miss,Long Island and the idiots who run the transit,who can't think beyond the next election! Thank you,for your time,and updated information,much appreciated! Thank you 😇 😊!

[@mookie714]

I'm surprised there's even a station at Laurel Park, the Laurel MARC station is only about half a mile down the track. Though, walking to Laurel Park from Laurel station would be a bit of a challenge. you'd have to walk out to main street, down rt 1, then down primrose lane, that's a much longer walk. I guess it's a relic from when horse racing was a much bigger draw.

[@michaelb9629]

I didn’t think there would be a commuter rail service that has stations that are least used. I guess some of the Metra stations in the Chicago area are too. I would go to any station I have to so I can catch a train hoping it’ll stop, even if it says on the schedule it will depending on the one I choose.

[@pbdye1607]

I'm not really sure I'd have voluntarily gotten off at the Racetrack stop that late at night. I'd have brought a powerful flashlight to signal to the engineer that someone was on the platform.

[@Thom-TRA]

It was only about 6pm, just filmed in the winter

[@ChrisFisher-hz5cy]

That's CRAZY!

[@moonbunnychan]

I desperately wish the Camden line ran more often, it's much closer to most of the places in Baltimore I'm usually visiting, and much easier to get to the light rail from the Camden Station then Penn.

[@chickhenkein_FAK...]

As a marylander the Camden line is only beneficial to those folks who live in laurel & Colombia aerea using muikurk station! They don't have any night rush and also can go to DC & baltimore because it is a quite dense aerea! But as a railfan in the dmv I could wait for a day and nothing shows up! I guess that it's safe to say that marc and sunrail are the two worst railroad systems of all of the us! (VRE dosent count as it is a part of marc and even worse!)

[@Thom-TRA]

VRE is not part of MARC

[@chickhenkein_FAK...]

@@Thom-TRA that is not what I meant lol! They have plans to merge soon!

[@Thom-TRA]

@@chickhenkein_FAK... no they don’t

[@chickhenkein_FAK...]

@@Thom-TRA oh ok!

[@taoliu3949]

There's no plans to merge, but they are cross honoring passes. That said, VRE is about to surpass MARC in 2030. The State purchased the ROW from CSX and NS statewide and is working to double both VRE and Amtrak services by 2030 with new lines/services to come after. Comparatively the MARC has basically been doing nothing.

[@R262SubwayCar1]

Laurel and Laurel Racetrack is like Aqueduct and Aqueduct Racetrack in New York

[@Thom-TRA]

Yes, except I believe aqueduct racetrack only has a platform on one side

[@theOlLineRebel]

Yes, both are being destroyed! Hence, why not much is even proposed for the platforms.

[@BrentFiore]

If I had a nickel for every horse racing track served by a train station in one direction only I'd have two nickels-- which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.

[@theOlLineRebel]

@@BrentFiore Actually Laurel was 2 ways. At some point the north-bound side (IIRC) was chain-linked off with a door gate at the steps up from the tunnel.

[@davinp]

VRE used to have single level coaches like MARC's but got rid of them because they wanted double-decker cars

[@Geotpf]

Another example of two separate lines that go to and from the same city is between the main train station in Riverside, California and Union Station in Los Angeles on the Metrolink commuter/regional rail system. One (Riverside Line) uses tracks owned by Union Pacific and all indications are that that corridor is completely congested with freight trsffic so it is a purely commuter line; no weekend service, only one train mid day, and no reverse commuter service, with no room to add any of those things. Most of the mid-line stations are just a couple miles south of the much more frequent San Bernardino line. It is more direct than the other line to Riverside, however, and therefore is faster. The other line (91/Perris Line) uses tracks owned by BNSF and apparently has room to grow, with service off peak and on weekends. It also starts long before Riverside, out in Perris, and therefore the first half of the train is mostly for people commuting from Perris to Riverside. It also serves two additional stations in Riverside and two in Corona. Three of those four are quite far away from any other Metrolink stations.

[@Thom-TRA]

Yeah the riverside line is pretty sad

[@cjs83172]

And how much of that has to do with the fact that there's only one way to get things from San Diego to the Inland Empire by rail, which is to run up the coastline on the Pacific Surfiner ruoting from San Diego through Orange, and then use Metrolink's Orange-Riverside County routing to continue on to the Inland Empire, since there's no direct rail connection from San Diego to Riverside, mainly due to the topography, as well as Miramar MCAS, which essentially blocks any direct rail route from San Diego to Escondido. So there's not only a Los Angeles to Riverside problem, but there's also a San Diego to the Inland Empire problem. (In fact, the only way to commute from San Diego County to Riverside County using public transit is by the Orange-Riverside County Metrolink line, and for those traveling from Escondido, add in the Sprinter to Oceanside to make that connection.)

[@Geotpf]

​@@cjs83172The California High Speed Rail system phase two is going to take an Inland route, down the 215 and then the 15, past March Air Reserve Base and Temecula. But that should be finished around the time that Queen of America, Ivanka Trump, celebrates 20 years on the throne.

[@cjs83172]

@@Geotpf And I have a feeling that when that's built (if it's built at all), then Metrolink is likely to create a line (or extend an existing line) to Escondido to connect to the NCTD Sprinter and to another line from San Diego (running Metrolink trains from Riverside to San Diego would be too long a route), and I also think there will be a rail line connecting San Diego to Escondido that may even get built before the CAHSR gets built, though what kind of rail ine that would be is an open question. SANDAG is planning a Purple Line heavy rail route to connect the border to Serra Mesa, and eventually UTC or the Sorrento Valley Coaster station along the I-805, I-15, and CA-163 corridors before heading west, so heavy rail would be a possibility, but so would a hybrid rail line, similar to what's used by the NCTD Sprinter and by the Arrow Line in San Bernardino County. I don't think light rail's an option, because any San Diego-to-Escondido line would be too long for light rail.

[@Geotpf]

​@@cjs83172No, there will just be a stop on the CHSR line itself in Escondido. It's already on the preliminary maps for there to be a station there.

[@johnchambers8528]

The Laurel Racetrack station was originally built to serve the racetrack. Over the years less people attended the races and used the train to get there. I still don’t know why MARC does not have a few trains stop there on race days. At least for now it is the primary racetrack that Maryland runs races at. They should at least have a few trains stop there before and after when the races are run. They do run Saturday and Sunday but it would not make sense to run special trains on those days. But if they are running on weekdays it should be a flag stop like you mentioned for the other station. That station looks a lot like the old station the B&O used at Delaware Park Racetrack when I was a child. That track had both the B&O trains as well as trains from the Pennsylvania Railroad serving it. It now is both a casino and racetrack and you can get there by train to Churchman’s Crossings station on the line to and from Newark, De. But it also has limited stops and you need to ride a shuttle bus to the entrance of the casino- racetrack.

[@Thom-TRA]

Race day stops make a lot of sense! But perhaps we shouldn’t look for sense in the MARC Camden line hahaha

[@metrazol]

MARC doesn't need this shade... but the last two times I rode it it was an hour late... from Union Station to Riverdale Park.

[@jg-7780]

I've never been able to figure out the reasons why Laurel Racetrack is served the way its served. My best guess is that it used to have trains in both directions, but maybe was some sort of issue with the northbound platform that led them to stop serving it, and they just cancelled the northbound stops and changed nothing else. Anytime MARC changes their schedule, it always seems to be trying to stay similar to the previous schedule without ever questioning whether the old schedule made sense in the first place. If Amtrak or CSX makes a change that requires adjustment, they'll just do whatever is easiest from a logistics end, not whats best from a passenger end.

[@Thom-TRA]

It’s probably something political tbh. Like they don’t want to serve it but Laurel forces them to so then they do it this way and nobody uses it. Something like that, would be my guess.

[@snuwehy]

as someone born and raised in Maryland, I had my first experiences taking both the Amtrak and MARC as of the passing year to go to Philly to visit friends while the other was to go to DC for a convention. Its something so, primal that gets my neurons activated whenever I see a train, the same when I see fighter jets or warships. I only had limited experiences in high school riding public transportation around Maryland before I got a car and while it sucked, i understood and appreciated that it was around to serve both people who either couldn't afford their own means of transportation or for those who find it more convenient and would like to reduce their own carbon footprint. I wish that America had better public transportation, nationwide. Not to be political but on both sides of the isle, it feels like neither party cares about the nation as a whole. Trains and the railroads that had been laid down have been around for 100's of years and now they are mostly underutilized and decrepit. It is a cheaper (at least most of the time if you just need to get from city to city), faster, and emits less green house gases (if you care about that). I had always been interested in Japan's shinkansen (bullet train) and now with the emergence of Maglev, it makes no sense as to why America does not invest in itself for its own people to get around the country for all the listed reasons above (yes, planes still win in travel time, I know). Investing in American Public Transportation will allow more people and more goods to move between states, cities, and markets. (in particular if the whole "MAGA" tariffs come to fruition). it's been a bummer that the Northeast Maglev project has been put to a halt since COVID and with Acela picking up traction (ha), I don't know if Maglev will be coming to the US anytime soon now. Just imagine, 15 minutes from Baltimore to Washington, DC as proposed as the first leg as a proof of concept (and since im a Marylander its 'important' to me). and with the project planned to stretch up to NYC, making the trip from DC to NYC in 1 hour. I can't even imagine that. I would really like to see a video from you regarding your opinions on Maglev and if you personally see if it is viable in the US. If yes, where? when? if not, why? I think it would be a good topic of discussion since i personally would rather take a train at a fraction of the price and take public transportation around the city than drive for hours and have to pay for parking anyways for my car (not including the gas money). thank you for the video and I really enjoyed it.

[@Thom-TRA]

Personally I’d much rather see America take traditional high speed rail seriously first. The high price tag of maglev simply will never work in the US, not in the current climate, unfortunately.

[@siccodierdorp6947]

Interessante video weer! There is a station in Britain (Pilning) with two platforms and only one train in one direction. This is due to the footbrigde that had to be demolished as it was in bad shape.

[@Thom-TRA]

Yeah, I wouldn’t want to walk over a broken footbridge!

[@Cupertinorail]

Conditional stops are seen on the Caltrain. College park is one and Stanford is used for games only. Have you heard the story of the Hawkeye express? It's the only university train in the world and now the stations are completely abandoned as of 2021. Iowa Northern and the University of Iowa ran the train for 15 years.

[@Thom-TRA]

I’m gonna look it up!

[@Cupertinorail]

@@Thom-TRA never ridden it but heard from other rail fans it was unique.

[@sdsd4139]

1:03 "I can't think of too many other examples in the US where a city pair is connected by two different commuter corridors" Me neither, all I can think of is Riverside-LA. Philly to Trenton? Most of the corridors I'm thinking of are disqualified because one of the termini isn't a city, or the transit between them is a metro and not commuter service.

[@Thom-TRA]

Those are good examples!

[@sdsd4139]

@@Thom-TRA Just remembered Joliet to Chicago

[@Thom-TRA]

@@sdsd4139 oh yeah! How could I forget