The Case for a Light Rail Station at Wyman Park Drive

We all know that the Light Rail misses a lot of potential places and neighborhoods as it makes it way north along the Jones Falls Valley; Ruxton and Towson are good examples. How they managed to design it without making a better connection to Penn Station or why they didn't plan a better Lexington Market Metro interchange is beyond my comprehension. However there is a lot of potential for infill stations to serve some of the city neighborhoods that the line now skips.

There is an approximately 2 mile stretch of track between the North Avenue and Woodberry stations. Woodberry serves as a great connection to its immediately neighborhood and places like Woodberry Kitchen, Meadow Mill, Artifact Coffee, and Union Craft Brewing. While only a little more than a half mile to the Avenue, this station sits at the bottom of the Jones Falls Valley, so it does not have the best accessibility.

However, adding a new station at Wyman Park Drive has some potential to open up Remington and the southern part of Hampden to the Light Rail. There is enough right of way for new platforms and a stairwell and elevator could be added to provide access to to Wyman Park Drive Bridge. From here a rider would be within a short walk to the Stieff Silver Building, the new apartments/offices at Mill No.1, Wyman Park, and about 3/4 of a mile to JHU. Going west across the bridge to the west riders would have access to Druid Hill Park and Druid Lake.

With all of the development going on in Remington these days, and the lack of good reliable transit in Hampden, a new station here would do a lot to attract new investment to these neighborhoods as well as new riders.

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