vice president Bill Norman speaks at the dedication ceremony in October 1980 First proposed in 1964 by
Charles Adler, a Baltimore-based inventor of traffic and aircraft safety devices, the station was dedicated on October 23, 1980coincidentally, mere hours after Adler's deathand opened for Amtrak intercity and
Conrail (now MARC) commuter trains three days later. The station's building houses a ticketing desk, waiting room, and a concessions area. The adjacent parking garage is used by
commuters who ride the train to work in Baltimore or Washington, and also contains the bus stop for shuttles to the BWI terminal. The garage was built in the late 1990s to replace a smaller surface lot. It contains 3,200 parking spaces and typically does not fill to capacity. The
Carolinian served the station between 1991 and 2004.
Platform renovations The
high-level platforms were rebuilt and lengthened between 2006 and 2010. The existing structures were replaced with new precast
concrete segments, and new signs, lights, shelters, railing, canopies, and benches were installed.
Expansion In 2010, $9.4 million was allocated for design and engineering of a new station building and fourth track, which was then expected to cost $80–100 million.
MDOT requested $300 million in federal funds for the project in 2011, but the request was denied. The
Federal Railroad Administration issued a
Finding Of No Significant Impact—a major step in the environmental review process—in February 2016, clearing the way for final design and construction to begin after funding was obtained. The project was then expected to cost $600 million and include of fourth track. The new station opened in October 2019, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony held in December. == Station layout and services ==