By MADISON KORMAN
PHOTO CREDIT: Madison Korman
The College Park MARC station is set to receive $1.4 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for accessibility and safety upgrades.
The upgrades will include a 600-foot-long, low-level platform allowing easier boarding and departure for passengers with disabilities. DOT’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding will also pay for wheelchair lifts, lift shelters, and upgrades to digital signs showing arrivals and departures.
“Our public transportation system is for everyone and should be accessible to everyone,” Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., said in a press release. “These critical upgrades will improve safety and provide equal access to public transportation for our MARC riders with disabilities, particularly in College Park, a major transit hub for students in Maryland.”
Funding through the DOT program supports repairing and upgrading station infrastructure nationwide to ensure accessibility for people with disabilities, including those who use wheelchairs. Locally, the Germantown and Odenton MARC stations will also be upgraded.
Frank White, a 69-year-old resident of Berwyn Heights, commutes daily via the MARC train from College Park to Union Station, in the District. He said he experiences various types of platforms during his commutes, from raised to nonexistent.
“Level platforms would be nice because you can walk right off the train and don’t have to worry about tripping or falling,” White said. “Overall, I think it is a good idea.”
During a recent Monday morning rush hour, an attendant at the College Park station set up a stool and lent a hand to commuters boarding and exiting the train, which was significantly higher than the ground.
White said he sometimes struggles to board and exit.
“It’s high and you have to climb the step [stool],” White said.
The College Park MARC station, which began offering service in 1984, is not ADA-compliant. The DOT funding will enable the Metropolitan Transit Authority to upgrade the College Park station to compliance.
The College Park MARC station connects to Metrobus service and the University of Maryland Shuttle. The station will also connect to the Purple Line light rail when that service becomes available. It serves as a multi-modal hub for Baltimore-D.C. commuters, D.C.-area workers, and UMD students, staff and faculty.
“This grant will help increase accessibility for people in College Park and throughout the region,” Ramon Korionoff, communications director for U.S. Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., said. “Enhancing the experience for [MARC] riders will help people with disabilities increase their employment and education opportunities.”
