Amtrak on Thursday released new renderings of the planned West Baltimore MARC Station, which will connect with the future Red Line light rail and other transit options.
The renderings include depictions of train platforms, waiting areas, improved sidewalks along Franklin and Mulberry streets, and more.
“We are so excited for the public to see the transformational West Baltimore MARC Station,” said Maryland Transit Administrator Holly Arnold. “This is the next step in creating an interconnected transit hub for the West Baltimore community which will provide access to the local bus network, MARC trains, and the future Red Line light rail line.”
The new MARC station project will include restrooms; enclosed waiting areas; fully ADA-accessible facilities, including elevators and level boarding platforms that line up with the train; roadway improvements; widened, protected and illuminated sidewalks along Franklin and Mulberry streets; improved pick-up and drop-off areas; and public art from local artists.
It will also offer local transit connections, including to the West Baltimore Bus Hub and the future Red Line Light Rail.
The station is part of the Frederick Douglass Tunnel Program, which seeks to upgrade infrastructure along a 10-mile stretch of the northeast corridor.
“These renderings reflect the meaningful input we received from community members through the design process,” said Amtrak Assistant Vice President Luigi Rosa, who is leading the tunnel program. “The new West Baltimore MARC Station will upgrade the customer experience for thousands of annual MARC riders while enhancing connectivity to Baltimore Penn Station, Washington DC and beyond.”
Among the program’s planned redevelopments is the construction of a new tunnel to be used by electrified passenger trains that currently use the 151-year-old Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel. Other infrastructure updates include a $50 million investment in communities along the new tunnel route, new road bridges, modern rail infrastructure, and more.
The overall Frederick Douglass Tunnel Program is slated to be completed by 2035.
Amtrak and the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA) are still developing a timeline for construction of the new MARC station.
View additional renderings of the West Baltimore MARC Station project by clicking this link.
The MARC Station at West Baltimore needs the expansion and improvements (along with maximum security to assure traveler safety) but what about the immediately adjacent site of the former Baltimore Ice Company on W. Franklin St., razed by a fire in early 2004? Is that parcel still sitting in ruins going to be incorporated into the transportation blueprint?
Baltimore needs to rediscover how to build Urbanism along with its architecture and park & piazza planning and stop letting auto dependent forces warp the urban fabric within the city.