Cumberland station (Maryland)

Last updated
Cumberland, MD
Cumberland Station - October 2015.jpg
The Capitol Limited at Cumberland station in October 2015
General information
Location201 East Harrison Street
Cumberland, Maryland
United States
Coordinates 39°39′02″N78°45′28″W / 39.6506°N 78.7579°W / 39.6506; -78.7579
Line(s) Cumberland Terminal Subdivision
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks2
ConnectionsAiga bus trans.svg Allegany County Transit
Aiga bus trans.svg Bayrunner Shuttle
Other information
Station code Amtrak: CUM
Passengers
FY 20237,651 [1] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg Amtrak Following station
Connellsville
toward Chicago
Floridian Martinsburg
toward Miami
Former services
Preceding station BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg Amtrak Following station
Keyser Shenandoah Martinsburg
Connellsville
toward Chicago
Capitol Limited
Location
Cumberland station (Maryland)

Cumberland station is a Amtrak train station in Cumberland, Maryland, United States. The station has one side platform serving the two tracks of the Cumberland Terminal Subdivision. It is served by the daily Floridian .

Contents

History

B&O trains at Queen City Station in 1970 B&O Metropolitan and Shenandoah at Cumberland, December 5, 1970 (27638280026).jpg
B&O trains at Queen City Station in 1970

The current waiting shelter for Amtrak service in Cumberland sits on the original site of the Queen City Station. This was a 174-room hotel constructed by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) in 1871 with a ballroom, a 400-seat dining room, and gardens and fountains. [2] The station was demolished in 1972, an act which spurred conservation efforts for architecturally and historically significant structures. [3]

Amtrak took over intercity service in May 1971; no service was retained on the B&O mainline. Amtrak restored intercity service on the B&O on September 8, 1971, with the Parkersburg–Washington West Virginian . It was renamed Potomac Turbo on February 7, 1972, and Potomac Special on May 14, 1972. [4] :67

The Potomac Special was replaced with the Cumberland–Washington Blue Ridge on May 7, 1973. The Cincinnati–Washington Shenandoah was introduced on October 31, 1976; the Blue Ridge was cut back to Martinsburg and later became part of the Brunswick Line. [5] [4] :68 On October 1, 1981, the Shenandoah was replaced with the Chicago–Washington Capitol Limited . [4] :42 On November 10, 2024, the Capitol Limited was merged with the Silver Star as the Floridian. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baltimore and Ohio Railroad</span> Rail system in the United States

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<i>Capitol Limited</i> Amtrak service between Chicago, IL and Washington, D.C.

The Capitol Limited is a temporarily discontinued daily Amtrak train between Washington, D.C., and Chicago, running 764 miles (1,230 km) via Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Service began in 1981. On November 10, 2024, Amtrak temporarily combined the Capitol Limited and Silver Star, producing a Chicago-Washington–Miami route, the Floridian.

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The Maryland Area Rail Commuter (MARC) is a commuter rail system in the Washington–Baltimore area. MARC is administered by the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) and operated under contract by Alstom and Amtrak on track owned by CSX Transportation (CSXT) and Amtrak. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 3,860,600, or about 13,900 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024, less than pre-COVID-19 pandemic weekday ridership of 40,000.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queen City Hotel</span> United States historic place

The Queen City Hotel was constructed in 1871 by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) in Cumberland, Maryland to serve both as a train station and as a destination. Hosting 174 rooms, it also had such features as formal gardens with a fountain, a ballroom and 400-seat dining room. It was torn down in 1972 to make room for a new main United States Post Office and Distribution facility with a much smaller station for Amtrak service between the new Post Office and the railroad tracks.

<i>Floridian</i> (train, 1971–1979) Former Amtrak train between Chicago and Florida

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<i>National Limited</i>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cumberland Subdivision</span> Railroad line in the U.S. states of West Virginia and Maryland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harpers Ferry station</span> Railway station in West Virginia, US

Harpers Ferry station is a railway station in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. It is served by the Amtrak Floridian intercity service as well as MARC Brunswick Line commuter service. The station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Harpers Ferry Historic District. It has two side platforms serving the two tracks of the CSX Cumberland Subdivision. The station is not accessible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martinsburg station</span> MARC and Amtrak rail station in Martinsburg, West Virginia, US

Martinsburg station is a railway station in Martinsburg, West Virginia, United States, served by MARC Brunswick Line commuter rail service and Amtrak Floridian intercity rail service. The station has one side platform serving a siding track of the CSX Cumberland Subdivision, with a footbridge crossing the siding and the two main tracks to provide access to the preserved Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Martinsburg Shops complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B & O Railroad Potomac River Crossing</span> United States historic place

The B & O Railroad Potomac River Crossing is a 15-acre (6.1 ha) historic site where a set of railroad bridges, originally built by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, span the Potomac River between Sandy Hook, Maryland and Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 14, 1978, for its significance in commerce, engineering, industry, invention, and transportation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silver Spring station (Baltimore and Ohio Railroad)</span> Railway station in Montgomery County, Maryland, US

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<i>West Virginian</i> (Amtrak train) Former Amtrak passenger train

The West Virginian, later known as the Potomac Turbo and Potomac Special, was a daily passenger train operated by Amtrak between Washington, D.C., and Parkersburg, West Virginia. This route was previously served by the Baltimore & Ohio's (B&O) train of the same name, and was the first of several services in the state of West Virginia established at the behest of US Representative Harley Orrin Staggers, the powerful chair of the House Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee. This patronage earned the train the derisive sobriquets "Harley's Hornet" and the "Staggers Special".

<i>Shenandoah</i> (Amtrak train) Former Amtrak train between Washington, DC, and Cincinnati, OH

The Shenandoah was a daily passenger train operated by Amtrak between Washington and Cincinnati from 1976 until 1981.

<i>Blue Ridge</i> (train) Defunct Amtrak train service

The Blue Ridge was a daily Amtrak passenger train that operated between Washington, D.C., and Cumberland, Maryland. Service began in 1973; it was merged into the MARC Brunswick Line commuter rail service in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cumberland Terminal Subdivision</span> Railroad line in Maryland, US

The Cumberland Terminal Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation in the Cumberland, Maryland area. The line centers on the Cumberland rail yard and is a junction with three other subdivisions.

References

  1. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of Maryland" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  2. Feldstein, Albert L. (2006). Allegany County. Charleston, SC: Arcadia. p. 38. ISBN   978-0-7385-4381-9.
  3. Newell, Dianne (1975). The Failure to Preserve the Queen City Hotel, Cumberland, Maryland. Case Studies in Preservation. Washington, D.C.: Preservation Press. ISBN   978-0-89133-023-3.
  4. 1 2 3 Sanders, Craig (2006). Amtrak in the Heartland. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. ISBN   978-0-253-34705-3.
  5. West Virginia Department of Transportation, State Rail Authority (March 12, 2013). "West Virginia State Rail Plan: Maryland Area Regional Commuter Service". p. 2. Archived from the original on October 7, 2016. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
  6. "Amtrak Launching the Floridian, with Daily Service Between Chicago and Miami" (Press release). Amtrak. September 23, 2024. Archived from the original on September 23, 2024. Retrieved September 23, 2024.

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