The New Carrollton station is the third station in the area to serve rail traffic. The first station,
Lanham, north of the current station, opened in the 1870s. By the late 1960s, it consisted of a small shelter and an asphalt platform served by a few
Penn Central (later
Conrail) commuter trains between Washington and Baltimore. The second,
Capital Beltway station, sat just inside the
Capital Beltway. Opened on March 16, 1970, it was served by Penn Central (later Amtrak)
Metroliners. On November 20, 1978, the Washington Metro opened its New Carrollton station, along with the
Cheverly,
Deanwood,
Landover, and
Minnesota Avenue stations, marking the completion of of Metro track northeast from the
Stadium–Armory station. In August 1982, Conrail commuter trains (later AMDOT, then the MARC
Penn Line) began stopping at Capital Beltway, replacing stops at Lanham and Landover. On October 30, 1983, Amtrak and AMDOT moved from Capital Beltway to a new island platform and waiting room at New Carrollton station. Until 2003, some
Acela Express trains stopped at New Carrollton. In October 2015, the
Palmetto began stopping in New Carrollton. The Metro station was closed from May 28, 2022 to September 5, 2022, as part of the summer Platform Improvement Project, which also affected stations north of on the Orange Line. Shuttle buses and free parking were provided at the closed stations. On September 10, 2022, Blue Line trains started serving the station due to the
14th Street bridge shutdown as a part of the Blue Plus service. The service ended on May 7, 2023 with the reopening of the
Yellow Line. Reconstruction of the existing Amtrak/MARC platform began in April 2023. An additional side platform and an expanded train hall are planned. Half of Silver Line trains began operating between and New Carrollton on June 22, 2025. The
Purple Line light rail line is under construction between New Carrollton and . It is expected to open in 2027. == References ==