Elkton station

Elkton is a former passenger rail station located in Elkton, Maryland. The last passenger service to the station was Amtrak's Chesapeake from 1978 to 1983. The brick station building still remains along the Northeast Corridor tracks.

Elkton, MD
Elkton station photographed in 2014
Location	Bow Street, Elkton, Maryland
Coordinates	39°36′47.76″N 75°49′53.45″W
Owned by	Amtrak
Line(s)	Northeast Corridor
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	3
History
Opened	July 31, 1837 (first time) April 30, 1978 (second time)
Closed	1960s (first time) October 29, 1983 (second time)
Electrified	January 28, 1935[1] (ceremonial) February 10, 1935[2] (regular service)
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Perryville toward Washington, D.C. Chesapeake Newark, Delaware toward Philadelphia–Suburban Preceding station Pennsylvania Railroad Following station North-East toward Washington, DC Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad Iron Hill toward Philadelphia

History

Pennsylvania Railroad

The 1935-built station included this southbound passenger shelter, with a pedestrian subway (grey grate under the canopy).

The Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore Railroad was completed from Wilmington to Baltimore in 1837 (save for the Susquehanna River ferry), with stops at most population centers including Elkton. A test train ran from Wilmington to Elkton on January 9, 1837, though service did not begin until July 31 of that year.[3] A replacement station was built in 1855.[4] The line became part of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) in 1881.

The line originally ran on a tight curve through the town center, disrupting traffic and creating a collision hazard at grade crossings, as well as acting as a major speed restriction on express trains. In 1934, the PRR moved the line north of the downtown area to ease the curve and eliminate all grade crossings in Elkton. Construction on a new station began in February 1935 and was completed several months later. The new brick depot included baggage and waiting rooms, and a pedestrian passage under the tracks to the southbound platform.[4] By 1938 Elkton was served by 18 trains per day.[3]

Traffic declined after the construction of the Interstate Highway System; stopping service declined to three daily trains by 1963 and ended several years later.[3] The line passed to Penn Central and eventually to Amtrak with all trains passing Elkton without stopping.

Amtrak

An Amtrak train (not the Chesapeake) passes Elkton station in 1981

On April 30, 1978, Amtrak began operation of the Chesapeake, a once-daily commuter train between Philadelphia and Washington D.C., which included reopening several closed stations.[5]

On January 1, 1983, the obligation for Conrail to provide commuter service on rail lines it had taken over in 1976 ended. SEPTA Regional Rail took over Philadelphia-area lines, while Amtrak began operating service in Maryland under contract to MARC.[6] Now largely redundant to Amtrak intercity and MARC regional service, the Chesapeake was cut on October 30, 1983.[7] SEPTA's Wilmington/Newark Line ran as far south as Newark, Delaware, while MARC service ran as far north as Perryville, Maryland. Elkton station, the only station in the gap between the two, was abandoned.

Proposed MARC service

Elkton is proposed to be revived as a station on an extension of MARC's Penn Line to Newark, Delaware.[8]

References

1. "Pennsy's New Electric Train Breaks Record". The Evening Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. January 28, 1935. p. 28. Retrieved January 31, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "N.Y.-Washington Electric Train Service Starts Sunday on P.R.R." The Daily Home News. New Brunswick, New Jersey. February 9, 1935. p. 3. Retrieved January 31, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
3. Dixon, Mike (24 July 2008). "All Aboard at the Elkton Railroad Station". Window on Cecil County's Past. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
4. Dixon, Mike (25 February 2009). "Elkton Gets a New Railroad Station". Window on Cecil County's Past. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
5. National Railroad Passenger Corporation (dba Amtrak) (30 April 1978). "National Train Timetables". Museum of Railway Timetables. p. 18. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
6. Boardman, Joseph H. (11 September 2012). "TESTIMONY OF JOSEPH H. BOARDMAN , PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, AMTRAK BEFORE THE COMMITTEE TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE OVERSIGHT HEARING ON "A REVIEW OF AMTRAK OPERATIONS PART 2: THE HIGH COST OF AMTRAK'S MONOPOLY MENTALITY IN COMMUTER RAIL COMPETITIONS"" (PDF). Amtrak. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
7. National Railroad Passenger Corporation (dba Amtrak) (30 October 1983). "National Train Timetables". Museum of Railway Timetables. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
8. "MARC Riders Advisory Council Meeting Summary Minutes" (PDF). MTA Maryland. January 18, 2018. Retrieved April 16, 2018.

External links

Media related to Elkton (Amtrak station) at Wikimedia Commons