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.
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.
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 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
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.
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.
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 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.
@@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 ☀️
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
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.
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.
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!
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!
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
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.
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.
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?
Now it makes sense re: MARC Camden line trains only running during rush hours. As an Orioles fan, I've never seen a MARC train at the stadium, and that perfectly explains why... 99.99999% of the time, games aren't happening when that line is in use.
Jessup used to be a decent infill station in the 1990's, before Dorsey was constructed. Afterwards, everyone just went to Dorsey or Savage. Now... well, the numbers don't lie. Shut it down. And yes, Laurel Racetrack has seen better days, but the station just needs to be shut down and merged with Laurel. Both can be moved to a corner of the Racetrack w/o issues -- only need the platforms, cross-tunnel that's tall enough, and enough parking for MARC commuters that won't get flooded out. Oh, and a traffic light at the entrance to the race track.
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.
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.
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)
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.
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...
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
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!
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 😇 😊!
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!
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)
❤ 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.
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 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
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.
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.
Here's a true story about the recovery of a racetrack station. Arlington Park racetrack, in Arlington Heights, IL (where I grew up), a suburb of Chicago, was built on the UP-NW line. It also had a huge parking lot, but it only had train service during racing season. After the racetrack closed a few years ago, Metra converted the station to a regular regional rail station. It serves Rolling Meadows, the west side of Arlington Heights, and so on. Perhaps thanks to that parking lot, it's the busiest station on the UP-NW line today. The authorities are trying to decide what to do with the racetrack, but the station is going strong!
When I heard "you also want to be able to travel back to where you started in most cases" at 4:28, I thought that was a no-brainer, until I found out what the deal was about Laurel Racetrack station... It seems like the kind of station that would only get special event service, but I'm not sure how many events there would be on weekdays when the train is actually operating. Regarding the note about city pairs with two different commuter corridors, I'd say what this reminds me the most of is the Metrolink San Bernardino/Riverside lines, as both of them go from LA Union Station to the Inland Empire (albeit ending in different cities). The reason is that the San Bernardino Line is actually quite good, whereas on the other hand the Riverside Line is the "odd one out", running at low frequencies on weekdays only, sort of like the Camden Line.
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.
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.
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
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.
14:23 I see you showed the train that stops at a racetrack in only one direction (towards Manhattan) without actually explaining it. They also put a Casino Hotel there, and the station with two direction service is within walking distance. ps. B&O Railroad is memorialized on the standard Monopoly game board
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.
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.
So un-fun fact: The Penn line runs on electrified track but MTA does not use electric locomotives (anymore). Also, to add insult to injury, you can take the Camden line from DC to Camden Yards, but you wouldn't be able to get back after an Orioles game because they only run during rush hour in the rush direction...
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.
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.
A place with Racetrack in the name sounds like it should be events only and nothing outside of that, so Jessup is really the more inferior station. With Laurel proper being so close, it would make more sense just to close Racetrack. Jessup does have housing nearby, but really feels more industrial. Jessup needs to be rebuilt to better serve the community (no one wants to evict the business(es) and at least give it a station building), Racetrack just doesn’t work in today’s and would be better served by a bus as a flag stop deviation or limited terminus (over Laurel station) on a longer route (the 502 kind of does northbound only)
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.
I never understood that MARC line. One thing that I don't understand is how they won't run extra trains when there are events at either Camden Yards or M&T Bank Stadium. If you ran trains pre and post events, wouldn't that take a lot of cars off the roads?
@Thom-TRA yeah that's what I have heard. I wanted to take that line once. I was staying in Maryland near the Dorsey station and wanted to go to DC. Didn't realize that line only ran during rush hour.
The Camden Line has such a weird schedule. I usually only use it to get to College Park on days I have to teach section because even trying to get to Baltimore with it is a pain. I had a trip to Baltimore recently that I wanted to use the Camden Line for (so I could get on the light rail really easily) but the schedule did not work out at all.
@@Thom-TRA it's really true. I wasn't even trying to go to Baltimore at a weird hour, either. In the end I just went to Union Station and took Amtrak instead.
It would be conceptually easy to fix Laurel Racetrack. The lack of imagination to build it up as a massive park and ride-equipped transit hub for the HoCo, PG and AACo bus routes that ply the region is puzzling. There is(/was?) a huge brownfield industrial site to the north of the station that would be/have been ideal for a large bus station, and it would take some of the pressure for parking off of Laurel station. If the ever-gestating plans to redevelop Laurel Racetrack ever get off the ground, upgrading the station will be crucial to making those plans successful IMO. Jessup station is much harder to fix. The site is very constrained, surrounded by prisons and industrial sites, and MD Route 175 is too narrow to support segregated transit and pedestrian facilities of the sort that would encourage the residents on the AACo side to use the station. I think it could be closed in the next 5 years.
Jessup MD is the site of the Maryland State Pen-- it was name-checked all the time in the TV series Homicide: Life On The Streets set in Baltimore. I don't know how that figures into when and why MARC stops there, but I just wanted to rebut that statement about "There's nothing here!" Well, maybe not RIGHT next to the tracks...
So Jessup was an original station on the B&O line. Never was a huge town by any stretch, but really declined - and the station building was demolished in the early 60's I believe. MARC built the Dorsey station they went up to mid 90's and that has the big lot to serve as the main station for the area these days. I live closest to Jessup, but on the pretty rare occasion I need to go to DC for the day I use Dorsey. ...and yes, the jails are nearby where that station is.
@@Thom-TRAWell, if the train ran more often to/from there, then it could be a good option for family members who want to visit a loved one in the prison if they don't own a car. Also, my alma mater (Goucher College in Towson) runs a college program for Jessup inmates. I had friends/classmates that used to tutor there and a good non-car option between Jessup and Baltimore was MUCH needed since not everyone who worked for or helped with the program had their own car.
Does Laurel Racetrack ever have more service for horse racing events? That seems like it would be the only use for the station and for that one specific use, could be quite useful if there was special event service.
They do not provide service for any racing event held at the track. I still don’t know why they can’t have at least flag stop service on weekdays when they have racing. There usually would not be enough passengers to justify a special train to the racetrack today. Most people seem to prefer casino gambling.
Md transportation is incredibly bad. The Baltimore light rail cars have seats which have never been cleaned. Everyone looks for the ones to sit on which are the least brown- the original color is blue.😮 Yuck on steroids.
I remember when Orioles Park at Camden Yards opened up, MARC had special service for Orioles home games from DC to Camden Yards Station , they discontinued it because they couldn’t guarantee a connection to the DC Metro before it closed for the night and CSX freight service on the line was more profitable.
@@rockvilleraven The services were also withdrawn due to crew roster problems. There was a notorious incident where a baseball special stopped at F Interlocking on the Capital Subdivision and remained there for several hours because the crew were required to go off duty. The negative coverage of the stranded passengers contributed to CSX’s decision to withdraw permission for the baseball services to operate.
Tom I like your videos over all, but good lord do SOME research. Penn is ex prr.,. camden is ex B&O. CSX doesnt like to share its main lines with pax. NS doesnt use the ex PRR branch as much. Problem solved!
And why do you think I don’t know that? Have you seen any of my other videos? I literally have one about that history. Geez. And how about you do some research? My name isn’t “Tom.”
Someone compiled a list of all the useless stations in Maryland: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_MARC_Train_stations I jest... sort of. MARC should be so much better than it is
![BOLIVIA vs. COLOMBIA [1-0] | RESUMEN | ELIMINATORIAS SUDAMERICANAS | FECHA 9](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/zg15uVWjuf4/mqdefault.jpg)
Sorry my voice sounds weird everyone, I lost it at the beginning of the week. Feeling much better now!!
Glad you are felling better.
@@mikecarrington4297 thanks!
Yeah I was gonna say at least you’ll feel better in future vids
I noticed your voice; and I'm glad you're feeling better!
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"
With night vision
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.
@@obkb1 Also the difference between passenger train and freight train.
@@obkb1 they do
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.
Thanks! Are you an ocean Marylander or a mountain Marylander? Haha
LOL, I’m a BaltiMORON
I second this! Central Maryland deserves better!
Bryce has enough screen confidence to scare away any ghosts at underused stations.
Everyone needs a Bryce in their life
😂😂😂
But what if that ghost is Scratch from the Ghost and Molly McGee?
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...
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.
@@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
Jessup and Laurel Racetrack have so much potential for TOD!!! Truly magnificent transit adventure- Thanks Thom☺️
Maybe the real TOD is the friends we made along the way
@@Thom-TRA 🤣🤣😭
@@Thom-TRALMAOO
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.
Weekend service would go a long way
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.
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.
So it sounds like a lot of these stations only have an entrance on one side then?
@@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.
More Marc content please
Okay!
@@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 ☀️
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
Go buy yourself something nice that’s 10 cents, you’ve earned it
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.
The line is double tracked and terminates at a much more desirable location in Baltimore. The whole line screams potential!
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.
There is a whole neighborhood to the north of it
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!
Thank you! Feel better today than all the previous week
The Camden line is my home MARC line (Riverdale Park is my station ) and I honestly keep forgetting Laurel Racetrack exists lol
Riverdale is a nice station!
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!
So you gave it to me! Just kidding haha
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
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.
My only thought is race day service only.
But after the races? Maybe if you win big you can get a limo 😂@@kzooaviation
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.
I’m actually making a video about that spur, because it actually has a fascinating history behind it!
I almost went to Maryland today but I cancelled my Amtrak trip last minute. This will do for now.
@@97nelsn now you’ve seen the bad parts, time to see the good parts haha
@@Thom-TRA I was about to, well mainly DC
Laurel and Laurel Racetrack is like Aqueduct and Aqueduct Racetrack in New York
Yes, except I believe aqueduct racetrack only has a platform on one side
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?
We took an Uber, after doing some shopping nearby!
Now it makes sense re: MARC Camden line trains only running during rush hours.
As an Orioles fan, I've never seen a MARC train at the stadium, and that perfectly explains why... 99.99999% of the time, games aren't happening when that line is in use.
Weird, but great video sir!
Got ya smartcards ready for ya.
I always wanted to stop at Laurel Racetrack! Great vid.
Still wanna go? Haha
Great video and hope you feel better soon
Thank you!
@@Thom-TRA your welcome
Jessup used to be a decent infill station in the 1990's, before Dorsey was constructed. Afterwards, everyone just went to Dorsey or Savage. Now... well, the numbers don't lie. Shut it down.
And yes, Laurel Racetrack has seen better days, but the station just needs to be shut down and merged with Laurel. Both can be moved to a corner of the Racetrack w/o issues -- only need the platforms, cross-tunnel that's tall enough, and enough parking for MARC commuters that won't get flooded out. Oh, and a traffic light at the entrance to the race track.
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.
lol
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.
I hope so too!
VRE used to have single level coaches like MARC's but got rid of them because they wanted double-decker cars
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)
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.
St. Denis is relatively well off compared to these two 😂
At least St. Denis has Guiness Brewery nearby 😅
@@Thom-TRAWell it does have over 5 times the daily ridership of both Jessup and Laurel Racetrack 😂
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...
It really greatly depends on the age of the infrastructure
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
Yep. How anyone stays on in that office with the budget they get beats me.
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!
Yeah St. Denis is a (dis)honorable mention!
@@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!
I guess it's made even worse since MTA discontinued the Yellow to Relay (Guiness) because of "low ridership" 🙄
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 😇 😊!
They do look very similar, don’t they?
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!
Thanks for doing that!!
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)
Interesting!
❤ 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.
Thanks for watching! How do you like Laurel?
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.
So what costs are associated with closing a station? I’ve always been interested in that aspect of British railways
@@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
I liked this video very much. I live in MD.
Thanks!
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.
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.
Here's a true story about the recovery of a racetrack station. Arlington Park racetrack, in Arlington Heights, IL (where I grew up), a suburb of Chicago, was built on the UP-NW line. It also had a huge parking lot, but it only had train service during racing season. After the racetrack closed a few years ago, Metra converted the station to a regular regional rail station. It serves Rolling Meadows, the west side of Arlington Heights, and so on. Perhaps thanks to that parking lot, it's the busiest station on the UP-NW line today. The authorities are trying to decide what to do with the racetrack, but the station is going strong!
I’ve used that station!
When I heard "you also want to be able to travel back to where you started in most cases" at 4:28, I thought that was a no-brainer, until I found out what the deal was about Laurel Racetrack station... It seems like the kind of station that would only get special event service, but I'm not sure how many events there would be on weekdays when the train is actually operating.
Regarding the note about city pairs with two different commuter corridors, I'd say what this reminds me the most of is the Metrolink San Bernardino/Riverside lines, as both of them go from LA Union Station to the Inland Empire (albeit ending in different cities). The reason is that the San Bernardino Line is actually quite good, whereas on the other hand the Riverside Line is the "odd one out", running at low frequencies on weekdays only, sort of like the Camden Line.
Yeah I thought it was a no-brainer too. That’s why Laurel Racetrack is so shocking!
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.
Yeah the riverside line is pretty sad
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.
Wow that’s really interesting. I’m gonna look it up now.
The city of Baltimore should encourage housing developments, high density housing developments at jessup station
Jessup is not inside the city of Baltimore.
Haven't even watched the video yet but I'm just going to say Laurel Racetrack for sure and Jessup.
Camden Yards is for O's and Ravens games.
Good guesses!
Jessup, MD also has a truck stop and isn’t far from Columbia, MD.
There are a few mid-sized employers within a short bike ride of Jessup, also.
watching the two useless station Jessup and Laurel racetrack. Especially since i’ve driven past them
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
Closest duology of intercity commuter rail would be SEPTA's Trenton and West Trenton Lines
Or the Metra Rock Island and Heritage Corridor might be even better
Thanks 😊
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.
Wow, a double hitter!
I really wish the MARC Camden had service similar to the Penn. I'd use it all the time!
I’m sure a lot of people would!
14:23 I see you showed the train that stops at a racetrack in only one direction (towards Manhattan) without actually explaining it. They also put a Casino Hotel there, and the station with two direction service is within walking distance.
ps. B&O Railroad is memorialized on the standard Monopoly game board
That was just an illustration to when I was talking about the fact that there are other examples of one-direction running.
@@Thom-TRA I know, I'm guessing most of the viewers don't know that train's route
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.
Did you know VRE is one of 3 agencies that guarantee trains are on time. If they are 30 more minutes late, you get a free ride certificate
Thom are you ok, you sound sick?
Yeah I lost my voice this week
@@Thom-TRA hope you feel better soon
One direction is fine for me. Since I don't know where I am or where I'm going, there is no place I plan to return to.
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.
Yeah, I wouldn’t want to walk over a broken footbridge!
So un-fun fact: The Penn line runs on electrified track but MTA does not use electric locomotives (anymore).
Also, to add insult to injury, you can take the Camden line from DC to Camden Yards, but you wouldn't be able to get back after an Orioles game because they only run during rush hour in the rush direction...
I see an occasional electric every now and then, but yes, seeing diesel on the Penn line is so aggravating
MARC has the HHP-8s running the occasional peak "limited-stop" trips
I heard MARC was going to buy some of SEPTA's ACS 64 locomotives
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.
Race day stops make a lot of sense! But perhaps we shouldn’t look for sense in the MARC Camden line hahaha
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.
Those are good examples!
@@Thom-TRA Just remembered Joliet to Chicago
@@shsd4130 oh yeah! How could I forget
I still haven’t been on the Camden line
You should go for a ride!
A place with Racetrack in the name sounds like it should be events only and nothing outside of that, so Jessup is really the more inferior station. With Laurel proper being so close, it would make more sense just to close Racetrack. Jessup does have housing nearby, but really feels more industrial. Jessup needs to be rebuilt to better serve the community (no one wants to evict the business(es) and at least give it a station building), Racetrack just doesn’t work in today’s and would be better served by a bus as a flag stop deviation or limited terminus (over Laurel station) on a longer route (the 502 kind of does northbound only)
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.
I’m gonna look it up!
@@Thom-TRA never ridden it but heard from other rail fans it was unique.
I never understood that MARC line. One thing that I don't understand is how they won't run extra trains when there are events at either Camden Yards or M&T Bank Stadium. If you ran trains pre and post events, wouldn't that take a lot of cars off the roads?
I wonder if the freight railroad is being difficult about extra trains. It just seems so obvious to run more, you know?
@Thom-TRA yeah that's what I have heard. I wanted to take that line once. I was staying in Maryland near the Dorsey station and wanted to go to DC. Didn't realize that line only ran during rush hour.
How about bringing back those luxury services that was once there?
I’d be all for it
The Camden Line has such a weird schedule. I usually only use it to get to College Park on days I have to teach section because even trying to get to Baltimore with it is a pain. I had a trip to Baltimore recently that I wanted to use the Camden Line for (so I could get on the light rail really easily) but the schedule did not work out at all.
It really feels like they asked themselves how they could make it impossible to use for as many people as possible.
@@Thom-TRA it's really true. I wasn't even trying to go to Baltimore at a weird hour, either. In the end I just went to Union Station and took Amtrak instead.
1:11 SEPTA has the Trenton and West Trenton line
It would be conceptually easy to fix Laurel Racetrack. The lack of imagination to build it up as a massive park and ride-equipped transit hub for the HoCo, PG and AACo bus routes that ply the region is puzzling. There is(/was?) a huge brownfield industrial site to the north of the station that would be/have been ideal for a large bus station, and it would take some of the pressure for parking off of Laurel station. If the ever-gestating plans to redevelop Laurel Racetrack ever get off the ground, upgrading the station will be crucial to making those plans successful IMO.
Jessup station is much harder to fix. The site is very constrained, surrounded by prisons and industrial sites, and MD Route 175 is too narrow to support segregated transit and pedestrian facilities of the sort that would encourage the residents on the AACo side to use the station. I think it could be closed in the next 5 years.
Great insights
There are 300 parking spaces listed at Laurel Racetrack Station. Maybe that is what it is really used for ....
I wonder who parks there
@@Thom-TRAPeople going to the racetrack.
That'd be st denis, a stop that gets only 3 trains a day during peak
Watch the video, St. Denis actually has a better station than some other stations on this line
Jessup MD is the site of the Maryland State Pen-- it was name-checked all the time in the TV series Homicide: Life On The Streets set in Baltimore. I don't know how that figures into when and why MARC stops there, but I just wanted to rebut that statement about "There's nothing here!" Well, maybe not RIGHT next to the tracks...
Yeah, I guess that’s nearby. Though something tells me the inmates don’t take MARC on their way to serve their sentences 😂
@@Thom-TRA But maybe some of the employees commute there, was my thought.
Maybe that’s who the 1 rider a day is
So Jessup was an original station on the B&O line. Never was a huge town by any stretch, but really declined - and the station building was demolished in the early 60's I believe. MARC built the Dorsey station they went up to mid 90's and that has the big lot to serve as the main station for the area these days. I live closest to Jessup, but on the pretty rare occasion I need to go to DC for the day I use Dorsey.
...and yes, the jails are nearby where that station is.
@@Thom-TRAWell, if the train ran more often to/from there, then it could be a good option for family members who want to visit a loved one in the prison if they don't own a car. Also, my alma mater (Goucher College in Towson) runs a college program for Jessup inmates. I had friends/classmates that used to tutor there and a good non-car option between Jessup and Baltimore was MUCH needed since not everyone who worked for or helped with the program had their own car.
1:11 metra heritage Coordor and Rock island both go to Joliet
Camden line would be amazing if Marc ran it during orioles game.
Seems so obvious, right?
Does Laurel Racetrack ever have more service for horse racing events? That seems like it would be the only use for the station and for that one specific use, could be quite useful if there was special event service.
I honestly don’t know
They do not provide service for any racing event held at the track. I still don’t know why they can’t have at least flag stop service on weekdays when they have racing. There usually would not be enough passengers to justify a special train to the racetrack today. Most people seem to prefer casino gambling.
Only thing in Jessup is a State prison
You could have taken the 502 to Dorsey from jessup
That doesn’t go anywhere near Dorsey
@@Thom-TRA i mean the 501 if you walked until you got to the food center
@@Chinemeremdozie you still can’t. By the time you walk to the food center, the first bus you can take leaves way after the train back to DC.
I guess you could walk to Laurel to get the train back from Laurel Racetrack
That’s kinda dumb tho, it’s like a mile
@Thom-TRA yep they should just close Laurel Racetrack and put in a walking path to Laurel instead.
@@greenbogggames or redevelop the area around the racetrack. I’d be much more in favor of that.
Wish everyone had a train..
Don't tell me your friend has an e-scooter which are not aload on trains in U.K., because they can catch 🔥!
We got some nasty comments from other passengers but the conductor told them to shut it
@@Thom-TRA I sorry that other people can't be nasty. But I hope you're O.K.
You seem like a train enthusiast apply for passenger engineer Amtrak is hiring
No thanks, I’m pursuing other things!
do more trains stop at laral racetrack when races
No they don’t weirdly
@@Thom-TRA looks likeit needs a be of a refit.
If you think about it they aren’t useless…... otherwise there wouldn’t be content to be made on it.
True haha. But are we content creators enough reason to keep something open?
Md transportation is incredibly bad. The Baltimore light rail cars have seats which have never been cleaned. Everyone looks for the ones to sit on which are the least brown- the original color is blue.😮 Yuck on steroids.
I rode the subway for the first time last week. Wanted to cry. 37 minute headways!!!
First!
Congrats!
On my way to comment why I feel the Camden Line should run more often to boost ridership.
What a revolutionary idea haha
I remember when Orioles Park at Camden Yards opened up, MARC had special service for Orioles home games from DC to Camden Yards Station , they discontinued it because they couldn’t guarantee a connection to the DC Metro before it closed for the night and CSX freight service on the line was more profitable.
@@rockvilleraven The services were also withdrawn due to crew roster problems. There was a notorious incident where a baseball special stopped at F Interlocking on the Capital Subdivision and remained there for several hours because the crew were required to go off duty. The negative coverage of the stranded passengers contributed to CSX’s decision to withdraw permission for the baseball services to operate.
Yeah these don't even have large amounts of parking or anything, they're literally useless. This was a fun video though.
It’s insane they’re still open
Tom I like your videos over all, but good lord do SOME research. Penn is ex prr.,. camden is ex B&O. CSX doesnt like to share its main lines with pax. NS doesnt use the ex PRR branch as much. Problem solved!
And why do you think I don’t know that? Have you seen any of my other videos? I literally have one about that history. Geez.
And how about you do some research? My name isn’t “Tom.”
Someone compiled a list of all the useless stations in Maryland: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_MARC_Train_stations
I jest... sort of. MARC should be so much better than it is
Good one haha