Councilman Turner Dares to Dream: Give Bowie a Metro Stop
City to seek widening of Route 197, completion of Route 450 and new interchange at Routes 50 and 193.
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Sometimes in government, ya just gotta dream a little to take those first baby steps of getting something done.
During this week’s City Council meeting, Council member Todd M. Turner floated the idea of Bowie having its own Metro subway stop. Turner said this could be done by extending the subway system from the New Carrollton station down the middle of Route 50 to Bowie.
Tuner said it might take 25 to 40 years before a Bowie subway stop is ever built. "But if we don’t want to have that discussion now, it won’t get done."
He said the timing is right to bring up the concept because the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority (WMATA) is putting together its regional transit plan that will include projects decades down the road. He said other suggestions the city could make to WMATA included a heavy increase in bus service or light rail down the middle of Route 50.
Mayor G. Frederick Robinson said the idea of having Metro go down the middle of Route 50, perhaps even as far as Annapolis, “would be neat.”
Robinson noted that Prince George’s County, unlike other jurisdictions, doesn’t have any Metro subway service beyond the Beltway. He called that a "classic failure of Metro in service" to the county.
The City Council decided to refine its ideas regarding a potential subway stop during a work session next month.
Also during Monday night’s City Council meeting:
- The council accepted city staff recommendations that Bowie’s top road priorities before the state and county include: the upgrading of Route 197 between Route 50 and Route 450; the upgrading of Route 450 between Stonybrook Drive and Route 3; the addition of an interchange at Route 50 and Route 193; and the addition of a new road connecting Route 197 and Route 3.
- Prince George’s County Fire Chief Marc Bashoor updated the council about how the opening of the Northview fire station has relieved pressure on Bowie’s other fire stations. Since Northview opened in the fall of 2009, service demand is down 62 percent at the Pointer Ridge Station and 12 percent at the Route 450 station, he said. Bashoor, who lives in Bowie, also said despite the hiring of 94 more personnel—bringing the county’s professional fire fighting staff to 771—staffing levels remain lower than desired because of funding shortages.
michael a. rogers
8:13 am on Saturday, August 6, 2011
Council member turner, you are what the city needs. see into the future, and let the past stay "past" new ideas, new enovations, this is what will bring bowie into the present. thank you SIR,
Angela Allen
8:43 am on Saturday, August 6, 2011
It's funny how I dreamed of the same thing about 5 years ago, wishing to have a subway extend towards the District... if this does happen, and I will be about 75 years old when it does, it will definitely be a "great" move for the city. I have been a homeowner of Bowie since 1997 and I have seen great accomplishments happen yearly throughout our city. Councilman Turner/Bowie City Council, make it happen!
Brian D. Banks
9:25 am on Saturday, August 6, 2011
Metro stop in Bowie? Hmmm. Many of us have thouoght of thise idea, and it is nice to see it entertained. HOWEVER before we jump all in let's take time to look at both sides of what it will mean to bring a metro stop to Bowie, MD. Just because it looks good, and sounds good does not translate into it "tasting good". A crime increase could happen, or it could be great for Bowie residents and business. Do we take the pros with the cons and say let's do it? Honestly I'm not 100% sold and if it is done the city MUST be strategically careful about where the Bowie Metro line will stop. I'm not saying no but I am saying wooooo horsey.Think it through before you act.
Darlene Prickett
2:20 pm on Saturday, August 6, 2011
I think this is a fabulous idea!
Donald
6:34 pm on Saturday, August 6, 2011
Something that could be done sooner vs later is to petition AMTRAK to stop in Bowie. I am sure that it would be welcomed at Bowie State. It would be a great alternative to weekday only MARC service.
Julius Nyerere
12:39 am on Friday, April 27, 2012
I agree with you 100%. It is difficult to get in and out of Bowie during the weekends if you don't have a car.
michael a. rogers
7:57 am on Sunday, August 7, 2011
lots of positive on this one-a big issue "parking" so, the city could make big bucks by building a very multi story parking garage - then "shuttle" at a small charge from parking to riding. money in the city of bowie's pocket
Bill Smith
6:13 am on Monday, August 8, 2011
Why not just extend the MARC Bowie State platforms.
Michael Blankenheim
1:46 pm on Monday, August 8, 2011
George Barsky asked me to post this for him:
We know putting rapid transit in the middle of Rt. 50 is bad for access and expensive. The RR station at New Carrollton is alongside the Metrorail station. It’s easy to walk over to Metrorail, but it has a very slow circuitous route into D.C. The RR is 10 minutes to D.C. from New Carrollton. MARC already has a station in Bowie near the college. Frequency is not the same as Metrorail, but it is possible to make changes. The RR has 3 tracks in Bowie so there is enough space for more local trains with possibly a Bowie shuttle. Alternatively, there is a junction at old Bowie for the Popes Creek line that is used by coal trains to feed the power plant in Southern Maryland. That line passes under Rt. 50. I believe there is ample space for a station and parking facilities there and one can have access from Rt. 50 or a local street like 197. Similarly a station at Rt. 450 is possible. Train service could begin in a year or two and the cost would be about 1/1000 that of extending Metrorail. Cheap good second hand RR equipment is always available. The Popes Creek line could handle the few coal trains and new passenger service for Bowie and a few communities south of Bowie along the Rt. 3 corridor. I would also suggest extending the planned Light Rail Purple Line from New Carrollton to Annapolis with a connection north to the Baltimore Light Rail at Glen Burnie either via Rt. 50 or the old Washington Baltimore/Annapolis line right of way.
Julius Nyerere
12:46 am on Friday, April 27, 2012
This has always been an issue with me, a student who commutes from the inner beltway to Bowie State University. Better than extending the Orange line to Bowie, why not (in addition to New Carrollton) extend the line to Bowie and Laurel. I know it is hard to get to Bowie for commuters, but it is even harder to get to Laurel, another suburb which is growing at a rapid pace. And if this is too expensive, then WMATA needs to add more frequency to their Bowie State (B21, B22, C29, B29) buses. Instead of running one an hour, we need buses which will run twice an hour. Is that so much to ask?