The Odenton station was originally built in 1872 by the
Baltimore and Potomac Railroad which was later merged into the
Pennsylvania Railroad on November 1, 1902. The station survived the merger between the
New York Central Railroad and the PRR that formed
Penn Central. When
Amtrak was formed in 1971, it initially retained very limited intercity service to the station – eventually dwindling to two trains each way, each day, Monday – Friday. Although the station building closed to the public at that time, it continued to be used as a maintenance-of-way storage facility. Commuter passenger service has operated continuously from this station since prior to 1900. Since around 1989, the station has been served by
MARC, a division of the
Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) who continues to provide commuter service to the area. MARC service has expanded offers frequent daily service at the station Monday through Friday as well as expanded weekend and holiday service. == Station layout ==