Lutherville (Baltimore Light Rail station)
Lutherville | |||||||||||||||
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_Light_Rail_station.jpg) Southbound train arriving in August, 2009 | |||||||||||||||
| Location |
150 Ridgely Road West Lutherville, MD 21093 | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 39°25′45″N 76°37′38″W / 39.429133°N 76.62718°WCoordinates: 39°25′45″N 76°37′38″W / 39.429133°N 76.62718°W | ||||||||||||||
| Owned by | Maryland Transit Administration | ||||||||||||||
| Line(s) | |||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 2 side platforms | ||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| Connections | Bus routes 8, 9 | ||||||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||||||
| Parking | 329 free spaces | ||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1992 | ||||||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||||||
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The Lutherville Light Rail Stop is one of 33 stops on the Baltimore Light Rail, and is a hub for bus routes 8 and 9. The station, which is located at a dead end at the west end of Ridgely Road, has 286 spaces for commuters.[1] Prior to the opening of the light rail in 1992, the parking lot was known as the Lutherville Park-and-Ride. Before this, the line was used by the former Northern Central Railway, which contained a station in Lutherville. Route 11 buses ran from this location to downtown Baltimore, and were discontinued one month after the light rail first opened in favor of their operation to Towson and the extension of Route 8 buses to Lutherville.
July 2009 accident
On July 5, 2009, the bodies of two teenage boys were discovered by a fare enforcement officer on the tracks near the Lutherville station.[2] MTA considered the deaths accidental.[3] The accident was not reported by the driver of any train, but surveillance video captured the train striking the boys.[4] It is believed that they were killed while walking on the opposing tracks, assuming they would see oncoming trains, but they were unaware trains in both directions were temporarily operating on the same track.[5] The operator of the train denied being aware of having hit the boys, and a subsequent investigation was launched by law enforcement agencies to determine if the operator was using a cell phone or texting.[6] A small, impromptu memorial to the two boys was set up at the station by relatives in the days following the incident.
In December 2009, MTA announced that it would be firing two operators and disciplining six other employees as a result of the crash and the fallout the followed. They stated that it was unclear whether better following these procedures would have saved the boys' lives.[7][8]
No criminal charges were filed against the operators.[9] A financial settlement was made to the parents of the victims.[8]
MTA instituted new regulations as a result of the crash pertaining to trespassing on light rail tracks. These include strictly enforcing the existing trespassing laws, alerting police immediately if someone is spotted on or near the light rail tracks, and enforcing speed regulations on trains until the trespasser is removed.[7][8]
References
- ↑ "Light Rail Parking". Maryland Transit Administration. Archived from the original on 2009-04-18.
- ↑ "2 People Struck by Light Rail Train". WMAR-TV. July 2009.
- ↑ Dresser, Michael (2009-07-08). "Teens' Deaths On Light Rail Called Accident By Mta". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2012-02-22.
- ↑ Bubala, Mary (2009-07-09). "MTA Confirm Timeline Of Light Rail Accident". WJZ-TV. Archived from the original on 2009-0-18. Check date values in:
|archivedate=(help) - ↑ "Losses in Lutherville - Our View: A Light Rail Accident in Lutherville Takes Two Teenagers' Lives, Raising Questions about Unusual Circumstances and Employee (In)Actions". The Baltimore Sun. 2009-07-09. Retrieved 2012-02-22.
- ↑ "Light Rail Death Investigation Centers On Driver". WBAL-TV. 2009-07-08. Archived from the original on 2012-02-18.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Madigan, Nick (2009-12-19). "MTA to Fire Two in Deadly Accident - Train Operators to Lose Jobs, Others Face Discipline Teens on Light Rail Track Hit in July". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2012-02-22.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "Lutherville light rail". WJZ-TV.
- ↑ "Teens' Families 'Disappointed' No Charges Filed In Light Rail Deaths". WBAL (AM). 2009-08-08. Retrieved 2012-02-22.
External links
