Montgomery College Metro station?

Transit

by Dave Murphy • December 26, 2008 11:48 am

When I was a student at Montgomery College, the school posted a great map throughout the school showing the number of Montgomery College students that were citizens of countries around the world. The student body hailed from 191 countries which, they said, was more than at any other institution of higher learning in America. With people coming from all four corners of the world to attend school, it would be nice to make it easier to get there by public transportation.

Photo from Montgomery College.

About half the school's 60,000 students attend MC's main campus in northern Rockville. Like its sister campuses in Takoma Park and Germantown, there are no dorms; the entire student body, faculty, and support staff commute. Bike and bus facilities exist on campus, but most people reach the Rockville campus by automobile. Considering that community colleges tend to cater to the less affluent, encouraging car ownership among the students puts an undue financial strain on the student body to own and maintain an automobile.

While the Takoma Park campus enjoys service from both Silver Spring and Takoma Metro stations, both located less than a half mile from the campus, Rockville is not so fortunate. The nearest stations, Rockville and Shady Grove, are three miles apart, and Montgomery College is smack dab in the middle. The wholly unsafe pedestrian conditions along MD-355, which parallels the Red Line tracks, further hampers pedestrian access to either one of these stations. Ride-On and Metrobus service stop at an off-to-the-side bus station on the south edge of campus, separated from the campus' buildings by a massive surface parking lot.

Crowded parking lots encircle the instructional buildings, creating a hazardous pedestrian environment and a traffic nightmare. The bus facilities should be located in front of the parking lots, not behind them. Campus planners presumably placed the stops there to reduce bus traffic on the campus, but a couple of bus-only lanes could speed the buses and reduce the number of pedestrians walking through the parking lots.

More importantly, there is a huge empty tract of land adjacent to the Red Line tracks literally across the street from Montgomery College. This land is far enough away from other Metro stations that a station here would make sense. A tunnel could run under MD-355 and the MARC tracks to reach the station without any major re-engineering of any of the roads or tracks.

View Larger Map

The Red line serves most of the heavily populated areas of Montgomery County, such as Silver Spring, Bethesda, Wheaton, and Rockville. A station at the flagship campus of the county's primary institution of higher learning would offer transfer-free Metro access from these areas, not to mention out-of-county students, faculty, and employees in the DC area. It would connect the Rockville campus to the college's Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus, and with the completion of the Corridor Cities Transitway, the Germantown campus as well. And of course, the Rockville campus would be a one-transfer Metro ride from the University of Maryland and UMUC. My unscientific guess is that it would immediately generate at least 7,000 daily boardings with no effect on the ridership at the neighboring stations, even before new development takes place.

A new Metro station would also serve the Lincoln Terrace Park neighborhood of Rockville, which is otherwise isolated by the train tracks, and the Derwood Industrial Park, a large employment center. The Maryland Board of Education is just south of the Montgomery College Campus. And there is enough dead space around the proposed station that plenty of residential, commercial, and retail development could follow a new station. I would also recommend sinking the tracks to reconnect the street grid east and west of the Red Line and CSX tracks in the area.

If fewer Montgomery College students drove to the campus, perhaps some of those huge parking tracts could become dormitories. Having students walking between the campus and the Metro station would help retail along MD-355. It would provide a valuable transit link between all the campuses of the school system. And most importantly, it would make the school more affordable, facilitating a better-educated population in Montgomery County, the Washington region, and the world.

25 comments — Share	— tags: campuses, Maryland, Montgomery, Rockville, transit

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Comments

Uh, Dave, you _do_ recall what's located smack dab in the middle of that "vast tract of empty land"?

Hint hint, the last thing you want there is lots and lots of pedestrian traffic or anonymous mass-transit traffic. There are very good reasons why they've never done the obvious thing and built a Metrorail station there, or more to the point, a quick and easy way to get to/from "355" to Westmore Road and its industrial district, which is already surprisingly large and busy.

Again, hint hint, why don't you actually drive out there and take a look around and as you look at everything, ask yourself what could possibly go wrong here that you'd really rather didn't.

by Thomas Hardman on Dec 26, 2008 12:44 pm

Thomas, I am assuming you are implying a security risk for students if Metro station is built there. But that is inherently twisted logic, look at schools like University of DC right by Metro, and other places of higher learning like GMU, NVCC, and Marymount all with satellite schools walking distance from Metro stations. Do they have major security issues because of their proximity to transit? Most trouble makers use automobiles to commit their crimes, not mass transit. Ever heard of a get away bus?

by Josh on Dec 26, 2008 12:57 pm

Yeah, I think that's an underground natural gas tank or something like that - I'm not 100% sure. As far as a station here, while I'm generally in favor of transit options, I'm not so sure I agree with this one. The red line transit time from Shady grove (I live in King Farm) to downtown DC is already a reallly long time. Adding another station will just make it longer. I would instead support rapid bus service from Rockville station to the MC campus. That makes a lot more sense to me.

On a slightly different thread, I've always wondered why they don't expand the right of way slightly (is it possible?) to add an express track from Shady Grove to Grosvenor. It seems like a lot of that shady grove boardings are going further south (into DC) so it would make sense to be able to offload the trains onto dedicated trackage for at least part of the time.

by Aaron on Dec 26, 2008 12:59 pm

NVCC has the same problem. The system was organized in a different era. With the exception of the "Arlington Center", quite-limited facilities (2 floors?) in leased office space in Ballston, no other NVCC campuses are metro accessible.

by spookiness on Dec 26, 2008 1:16 pm

Thomas: Part of the purpose of the blog is to educate people about urbanism and our area. Cryptic "hint hint" comments implying there's something people don't know doesn't help. I can't speak for Dave, but I don't know what's there. And it seems that the other commenters aren't sure either. Instead of a supercilious "ask yourself what could go wrong" assuming people know, why don't you tell us?

by David Alpert on Dec 26, 2008 1:18 pm

I know the county has discussed locating a stop there to serve the campus and MCPS' offices at the adjacent Carver Center, but the stuff across the street (the radio towers and all of that industrial goodness) won't be going anywhere for a little while. And that's not a security concern - other than the college and the neighborhoods on the west side of 355, there isn't enough around here to generate the kind of ridership that would justify a new station.

I think it'd be worthwhile to extend the CCT from Shady Grove to Rockville down 355, hitting Gude Drive, MC and North Washington Street. That way, you don't inconvenience those commuting downtown with another stop, but you improve access to the Upcounty from both MC and Rockville Town Center.

by dan reed on Dec 26, 2008 1:19 pm

Arguably the TP/SS campus of the college could use one as much or more; it's within realistic walking distance of neither Takoma nor Silver Spring stations.

by Bruce on Dec 26, 2008 1:26 pm

A quick Google search shows that this "huge empty tract of land" is a Washington Gas high pressure natural gas and propane storage facility. Probably massive tanks underground. I would leave it alone.

by Bob on Dec 26, 2008 3:28 pm

If my memory serves me correctly, the Red Line tracks are between 355 and the MARC/CSX tracks. Tunneling under the MARC tracks would not be necessary for access to MC.

by Adam on Dec 26, 2008 3:39 pm

Yes. Massive underground gas storage facility. I don't know how dangerous that makes it, but certainly it means redevelopment would be difficult. Not only would someone have to buy the land (which *is* being use), they'd have to spend millions to clean it up.

Anyway, I think this is an interesting thought, and a good blog post, but I don't know that I think an infill station there would be all that great. Yes, it's a commuter school, but most of the students and staff are coming from north of Rockville. Few of them are going to pay to park at Shady Grove (where the parking lots are already full on weekdays) just to ride one station... And anybody coming from Silver Spring isn't going to ride all the way into the city and then up again. That leaves the only potential MC riders people from the Bethesda leg of the Red line. Not a huge catchment area.

Maybe after the CCT and Purple Line are built then getting to the upper Red line via transit will be easier for a large enough portion of the county to justify something like this, but until then, I can't see it being used very heavily.

... Now, a free shuttle from Rockville Metro? Sure. Why not. And 355 would probably be a good candidate for MetroExtra type service, which would include a stop somewhere near the college.

by BeyondDC on Dec 26, 2008 3:42 pm

We've established that MC is significant commuter destination. Moreover, we've established that a Metrorail station serving it infeasible and, possibly, undesirably. The big question is where do MC's students live and when do they have classes? Knowing this would enable better design of transit to serve them. MC could release the data without threat of disclosure of personal information by reporting students by ZIP code.

BTW, years ago, my wife suggested a similar project for George Mason, but got nowhere. I suppose people prefer parking lots to trees, fields and buildings. :-(

by Chuck Coleman on Dec 26, 2008 6:23 pm

Thomas, et. al- Despite the fact that I went to school there and at one point lived right on College Parkway, I was unaware of the underground gas storage. However moving the proposed station a little to the north (either at the intersection of College Parkway or Gude Drive) or to the south (at Mannakee Street) could fix that problem. Yes, that would leave a huge empty tract next to the Metro station, but MC ought to be a big enough draw for a Metro station.

Aaron- I appreciate the notion that it would slow the commute to down town. Perhaps a MARC station at Shady Grove makes more sense for DC commuters... perhaps move the Washington Grove station there. I imagine people would prefer 4 stops to Union station over 16 on Metro.

Beyond DC- You are absolutely correct, this project would be exponentially more productive after the Purple Line and the CCT get built, and if it ever does gain momentum, that will likely be when it does. However, don't underestimate the number of students that would be attending classes before or after going to work at one of the job centers like Bethesda. And I can only speak for myself here, but I would have been willing to ride the train from Silver Spring to MC even if I had to go through the city. It beats driving on Viers Mill or 270 and then trying to park.

by Dave Murphy on Dec 26, 2008 7:18 pm

Relocating the bus stop at MC Rockville (and Germantown too, which has the same problem) was listed in ACT's recent letter to County Executive Leggett. The MC bus stops are item #10 in a list of examples of county policies that are fundamentally unfair to bus riders.

We have not yet received an answer to our letter (not a complaint, it could reasonably take another week or two to answer this letter seriously). I urge readers to write to Mr. Leggett at ocemail@montgomerycountymd.gov in support of the change in county policy that the ACT letter requests.

by Ben Ross on Dec 26, 2008 8:31 pm

Ben-

That is actually what inspired me to write this piece. I think that's a phenomenal idea, and a relatively easy measure to encourage bus ridership. I've already expressed my support for it to Mr. Leggett, and I encourage other readers to do so.

by Dave Murphy on Dec 26, 2008 8:37 pm

Great idea - perhaps the time has come for local and express trains, especially as the orange line extends to Dulles. But serving MC and Lincoln Park sounds very sensible.

by Ralph Bennett on Dec 26, 2008 9:12 pm

An infill Metro station near Montgomery College is a great idea. It dovetails well with plans to expand the MARC Brunswick line.

The State already has plans to add a 3rd MARC track through here by 2015. http://www.mtamaryland.com/marc%20plan%20full.pdf So it is possible that these two potential projects could be coordinated.

The County also wants to add a MARC station at Shady Grove.

by Al Carr on Dec 27, 2008 10:37 am

Adam said: If my memory serves me correctly, the Red Line tracks are between 355 and the MARC/CSX tracks. Tunneling under the MARC tracks would not be necessary for access to MC.

Which is correct. However, you'd have to shift either the MARC tracks east or 355 west in order to fit an infill station in at the college. The fenceline for the Red Line buts up right along the sidewalk along 355, and on the other side you only have about 20 feet or so of separation between the Red Line and the MARC/CSX tracks.

by Froggie on Dec 27, 2008 10:48 am

I forgot to mention the MARC plan to triple-track in that area, but Al mentioned it alread. But to add onto that, triple-tracking MARC/CSX plus having to shift either MARC/CSX or 355 to build the Metro station will encroach even further on that natural gas facility. And you can't shift 355 west more than about 30 feet or so or you'll put it INTO a couple of the buildings on campus.

by Froggie on Dec 27, 2008 10:56 am

Well, I was going way out of my way to not actually say what would be the potential risks of that "huge tract of empty land" but now that the blabbermouths had to go be specific rather than remembering about ships sinking and loose lips, let's just say that the only thing standing between potential terrorists doing final assembly and staging in the chemical labs at Montgomery College and a place we really don't want them, is two chain link fences and two rail lines. And here you want to go build a bridge right to it.

Personally I think that MC Rockville is one of the most poorly-sited campi on record, in terms of accessibility by mass-transit, with the George Washington University being one of the best-sited campi. MC Rockville was well-sited for the time in which it was built, but as overpopulation and Sprawl buildout has occurred, it's become even more of a backwater in terms of accessibility.

by Thomas Hardman on Dec 27, 2008 2:09 pm

Thomas-

As a Defense employee, I appreciate the concern. I do hope that terrorists don't read GGW looking for ideas.

Del. Carr-

That is great news. I was unaware of the proposed MARC station at Shady Grove.

Froggie-

If the station is bumped north or south of the gas storage, there would be room to construct a platform, as the road curves away from the tracks. I'm regretting more and more not suggesting one of those two sites in this post,as they are obviously far more suitable.

by Dave Murphy on Dec 27, 2008 4:59 pm

You'd have to take some buildings on either end, Dave, but yes that's an option.

by Froggie on Dec 27, 2008 8:50 pm

Loose lips sink ships? Come on. It's pretty obvious to anyone who rides the Red Line and is on the lookout for these things. The big railroad tank cars labeled "Liquefied Petroleum Gas," the no smoking warnings, and all the gas cylinders lying around tend to be a pretty good giveaway. There are even all those helpful warning signs saying "Natural Gas Pipeline - Do Not Dig."

by A.O. on Dec 28, 2008 8:18 pm

I'm part of the group that maintains this area in the 'Adopt-A-Highway' program. It's not exactly thriving.

There is space on for a small station here. The 60' between the sidewalk and the side of the MARC RoW is enough (reclaiming the median between the two sets of tracks), and you could add 10ft by elevating it over the sidewalk, or another 35 if you elevate it all the way over the MARC tracks. A pedestrian bridge would seem prudent if elevated, but not strictly necessary. There's 900 linear feet between a gas pipeline safety zone and the MARC siding to build the station, so length isn't a constraint either.

There isn't enough utility to a station here before the Purple Line & CCT are built. Students are from all over MoCo & elsewhere, and are mostly too close for 'Park & Ride' to be practical. Many already take the bus (our little bus station? Busy as all hell), but not enough to justify blowing $100M on a new station, unless the Purple Line & CCT allow increased access to the Red Line corridor.

MARC should/would/could be this corridor's 'express Metro', particularly if it could be connected with VRE tracks for a Metro-style 'in-and-out' setup.

If they built it on Mannakee, the newly constructed southern MC parking lot could be sold to Metro for a 'Park & Ride', if the new garage they're building is big enough. There's already a path over the tracks into the residential neighborhood nearby. It would allow us to correct some of the parking debacle in northern Rockville (everything north of Beall) with infill. OTOH, you could say the same thing about the dealerships north of Gude.

I've suggested before making the Purple Line run through Silver Spring Campus - which is not realistically walkable without a bus connection (& is frankly kind of dark & scary for night classes).

We've established that MC is significant commuter destination. Moreover, we've established that a Metrorail station serving it infeasible and, possibly, undesirably. The big question is where do MC's students live and when do they have classes? Knowing this would enable better design of transit to serve them. MC could release the data without threat of disclosure of personal information by reporting students by ZIP code.

Eyeball demographics suggest that class start times are distributed about evenly over the following quartiles:

8-11:30

11:30-1:30

1:30-5:30

5:30-6:30

With the evening classes getting off anywhere between 6:30 and 10:00. Age quartiles are something like:

16-19

19-21

21-30

30-90

Geographically it's pretty diverse. I think I've known someone in pretty much every living arrangement, from people living at a DC embassy to people living at a Poolesville farm. A plurality appear to be at single-family MoCo homes they havn't moved out of yet, but it's not a majority.

*Disclaimer: I know the tracks aren't owned by MARC

by Squalish on Dec 28, 2008 9:47 pm

For something more immediate, an express bus from Rockville station to Shady Grove station, stopping at MC Rockville south and north only, might be a good solution. You would just have to pick the routes.

times? I'd run it twice an hour.

I used to take the bus to and from MC all the time. depending on where I lived or where I was going, I would always have to transfer at Rockville or Shady Grove anyway. Perhaps a survey of the riders on the 3-4 buses that go to MC should be taken and perhaps of the students and faculty as well would be in order to see how much support of this would be feasible?

by Thereal Deal on Dec 29, 2008 1:39 pm

that giant piece of land across 355 from the campus, is all natural gas lines, and pipes, and such. digging there could rove to be a problem. i agree that there should be a station there somehow, but i think it will not happen.

by gabe on Dec 30, 2008 11:24 pm