Monday, March 2, 2009

Transit Alert: Rockville MARC Closing

Rockville MARC Station to Close for Renovations
MTA Maryland has announced that they will be closing the Rockville MARC commuter rail station for renovations after the last outbound train this Friday, March 6. This closure is temporary and will add ammenities to the station. The project will add a waiting area with seating and ticket machine. The station will be closed during the duration of the construction, but MTA does not have a firm deadline for reopening at this time. I'll keep you posted.

Passengers wishing to board at Rockville can take Metro's Red Line downtown or can travel to other nearby stations, including Washington Grove and Garrett Park.

Some MARC Stations to be Unstaffed
MTA also announced on Friday that a number of stations will no longer be staffed with ticket agents after the end of rail service on Friday, March 6. Quicktrak ticket machines have been installed in all of these locations, and despite the loss of ticket agents, passengers will now be able to purchase tickets during increased hours. Apparently, at these locations, you will still be able to buy your ticket onboard without being assessed the surcharge.
These stations will no longer be staffed:

  • Aberdeen (Penn)
  • Gaithersburg (Brunswick)
  • Germantown (Brunswick)
  • Laurel Main Street (Camden)
  • Martin State Airport (Penn)
  • Perryville (Penn)
  • Rockville (Brunswick)
  • Savage (Camden)

UPDATE: 3/4, 12:30P
A revised email from MTA Maryland clarifies that when
they said "Station" in their earlier email, they really meant "Ticket
Office."

The Rockville MARC Station will remain open during the
duration of the construction, however, tickets will not be sold at the station
until completion of the renovation.

4 comments:

Erik said...

For Laurel, I am a reverse commuter. And the staffed ticket window was never open when I needed it. If they place a Quick-trak machine there I will be pleased.

Adam said...

Will Amtrak trains still stop at Rockville while the MARC station is closed?

Matt' said...

Amtrak's website does not report any impending closures. I will post an update as soon as I can find more information.

Matt' said...

UPDATE:
MTA has sent out a revised email clarify their earlier statements. When they said "Station" in their previous emails, they really meant "Ticket Office."

I apologize for perpetuating inaccurate information, although I was working with the best information at the time.

I even took the time to contact MTA before writing this post; they responded by saying that the "Station" would be closed for the duration of the renovations.

To clarify: Rockville MARC will be open during the renovations, but tickets will not be able to be purchased in the station.