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BWI Rail Station

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Coordinates: 39°11′33″N 76°41′41″W / 39.192377°N 76.694645°W / 39.192377; -76.694645
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This article is about a regional and inter-city rail station. For the light rail station at BWI, see BWI Marshall Airport (Baltimore Light Rail station).
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Rail Station
Amtrak inter-city rail station &
Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC) station
BWI Rail Station as viewed from the parking garage.
General information
Location7 Amtrak Way
Baltimore, Maryland 21240[Note 1]
 United States
Coordinates39°11′33″N 76°41′41″W / 39.192377°N 76.694645°W / 39.192377; -76.694645
Owned byAmtrak
Line(s)Amtrak:
  Acela
  Northeast Regional
  Vermonter

MARC:

  Penn Line
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks3
ConnectionsBaltimore Light Rail via Shuttle bus
Construction
ParkingYes
Bicycle facilitiesYes
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeBWI
History
Opened1980
Passengers
2013710,513[7] Increase 1% (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station
Template:Amtrak lines
Template:Amtrak lines
Template:Amtrak lines
MARC
Template:MARC lines

The Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Rail Station (often shortened to simply BWI Rail Station) is an Amtrak and Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC) train station in an unincorporated area within Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States.[Note 1]

The station is located on the airport complex just over a mile from the main terminal of Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. A free shuttle bus runs between the station and the airport terminal every 12 minutes from 5 am to 1 am and every 25 minutes from 1 am to 5 am.[8]

History

The station was dedicated on October 23, 1980, and was the first intercity rail station in the U.S. built to service an airport.[9] It is about a 20-minute train ride south of Baltimore's Penn Station, a 20-minute ride north of New Carrollton, Maryland (and its connection with the Orange Line of Washington Metro), and a 35-minute ride north of Washington's Union Station.

Rail services

The station is part of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and is served by the MARC Penn Line as well as Amtrak's Acela Express, Northeast Regional, and Vermonter trains.

Infrastructure

The station's building houses a ticketing desk, waiting room, and a concessions area. The adjacent parking garage is used by commuters who ride the train to work in Baltimore or Washington, and also contains the bus stop for shuttles to the BWI terminal. The garage was built in the late 1990s to replace a smaller surface lot. It contains 3,200 parking spaces and typically does not fill to capacity.[10]

Platform renovations

The 1,050 feet (320 m) high-level platforms were rebuilt and lengthened in 2006–2010.[11] The existing structures were replaced with new precast concrete segments, and new signs, lights, shelters, railing, canopies, and benches were installed.[12]

Future expansion

$9.4 million has been allocated for design and engineering of a new station building and fourth track, which is expected to cost $80–100 million. The existing station will be demolished to make way for the new track and platform, and a new station — twice the size of the old — will be built.[13][14]

Connecting transportation

A train of MARC III Kawasaki bi-levels at BWI Rail Station on the Penn Line headed towards Baltimore.

A number of transportation services connect to the station, including a dedicated taxi stand. Some of these services include Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) Bus, BWI Shuttle, and University of Maryland Baltimore County Transit Shuttle. While rental cars are not available at the station, the nearby BWI consolidated rental car facility is accessible via the station's other connecting modes.

Local public transit services

Pedestrian and bicycle access

  • BWI Trail: A hiker/biker trail completely encircles the airport grounds parallel to the Airport Loop, and runs adjacent to the station.[16]
  • An elevated walkway connects the station (at the second floor of the southbound platform's stairwell) with office buildings on Corporate Center Drive, including the Maryland Department of Transportation headquarters.

Notes

  1. ^ a b The BWI Rail Station is located in an unincorporated area within Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Most reliable sources agree that the street address is 7 Amtrak Way, but differ on the "city" in which it is located. Amtrak lists the city as "BWI Airport" on both of its web pages for the station.[1][2] The Maryland Transit Administration lists the city as "Linthicum" on its website & Maryland Area Regional Commuter Rail (MARC) brochure.[3] However, according to both Google Maps[4] and Yahoo! Maps,[5] the station is located outside of Linthicum Heights (Linthicum), with that census-designated place only extending to just the far side I-195 and does not include the train station. According to the United States Postal Service (USPS), "BWI Airport" is not an acceptable city name and that the proper city for the 21240 ZIP code (which is used by all the sources previously cited) is Baltimore (even though the station actually outside the city proper).[6] Nothwithstanding, the USPS does not recognize the street address provided by any of the sources.

References

  1. ^ "BWI Airport, MD - BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)". Amtrak. Retrieved 30 Sep 2013.
  2. ^ "BWI Airport - Thurgood Marshall Airport, MD (BWI)". Amtrak. Retrieved 30 Sep 2013.
  3. ^ "MARC RIDERS GUIDE" (PDF). Maryland Transit Administration. Retrieved 30 Sep 2013.
  4. ^ "Linthicum Heights, MD" (Map). Google Maps. Google. 30 Sep 2013. Retrieved 30 Sep 2013.
  5. ^ Template:Yahoo maps
  6. ^ "Look Up a ZIP Code™: 21240". United States Postal Service. Retrieved 30 Sep 2013.
  7. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2013, State of Maryland" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  8. ^ "Ground Transportation: Amtrak". Maryland Aviation Administration. Retrieved 30 Sep 2103. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  9. ^ "BWI Rail Station dedication booklet, 1980". Amtrak. Retrieved 30 Sep 2013.
  10. ^ "Availability of MARC Parking". Archived from the original on 12 Jul 2008. Retrieved 13 Jul 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "Maryland Transit Administration renovates BWI station platforms". Progressive Railroading. Trade Press Media Group, Inc. 24 Nov 2010. Retrieved 30 Sep 2013.
  12. ^ "MARC Council January 2010 Meeting Minutes" (PDF).[dead link]
  13. ^ "Governor O'Malley Applauds President Obama for High Speed Rail Investment in Maryland" (Press release). State of Maryland. 28 Jan 2010. Retrieved 30 Sep 2103. {{cite press release}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  14. ^ "Maryland has plans for bigger BWI rail station". Railway Track and Structures. New York City: Simmons-Boardman Publishing Inc. 9 Sep 2009.[dead link]
  15. ^ "Bus Routes". Maryland Transit Administration. Retrieved 10 Nov 2009.[dead link]
  16. ^ "The BWI Trail". Bike Washington. Retrieved 30 Sep 2013.


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