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The Metropolitan Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation in the District of Columbia and the U.S. state of Maryland. The line runs from Washington, D.C. northwest to Weverton, Maryland along the former Metropolitan Branch of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.〔CSX Transportation. ("Northern Region, Baltimore Division, Timetable No. 4." ) Effective 2005-01-01.〕 At its southeast end, north of Union Station, the Metropolitan Subdivision meets the Capital Subdivision (formerly called the B&O Washington Branch) and Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. It meets the Old Main Line Subdivision at Point of Rocks, Maryland, and at its northwest end in Weverton, the line joins the Cumberland Subdivision. MARC Train's Brunswick Line uses the entire subdivision, as does Amtrak's ''Capitol Limited''. The Red Line of the Washington Metro shares right-of-way with the subdivision along two separate stretches in Maryland and DC: from the junction with the Capital Subdivision to north of Silver Spring, and from south of Twinbrook to the end of the Red Line at Shady Grove. ==History== Interest in building a new rail line from Washington to points west was initially generated by businessmen in Washington and Montgomery County, Maryland. In 1853 they obtained a corporate charter from the Maryland General Assembly to form the Metropolitan Railroad. The proposed line would run from Washington to the vicinity of Frederick, Maryland, where it would connect with the B&O main line, and continue to Hagerstown, Maryland. The company conducted some initial land surveys, but had difficulty raising funds and went bankrupt in 1863.〔 Previously the B&O had not been interested in building a new route out of Washington, but following the Metropolitan Railroad’s failure, it took over the expired charter in 1865. Construction began in 1866 along a slightly different route, connecting with the main line at Point of Rocks, Maryland. The line opened in 1873 as the B&O's Metropolitan Branch. Upon the opening of the branch on April 30, 1873, the B&O rerouted its through passenger traffic through Washington, and the Old Main Line, from Point of Rocks to Relay, was reduced to secondary status as far as passenger service was concerned. Some through freight trains were also rerouted to use the new line.〔, February 2004 Edition〕 Due to increasing congestion, the B&O began to add double track portions to the line in 1886. The Washington-to-Gaithersburg section was double-tracked by 1893.〔 During the peak years of passenger operation, 1893 to the 1920s, there were eighteen trains per day, with as many as 28 stops along the Met Branch.〔 Significant engineering features include bridges across: *Tuscarora Creek. Originally a Bollman truss iron bridge, replaced with a girder bridge in 1904. *Monocacy River. Originally a Bollman truss, replaced with a seven-span girder bridge in 1904. *Little Monocacy River. Originally a 500-foot wood trestle, replaced by a 331-foot stone arch viaduct in 1906. *Great Seneca Creek (Waring Viaduct). Originally a wood and iron trestle, replaced with an arch stone viaduct in 1906. *Little Seneca Creek. Originally a timber bridge, replaced with a steel trestle in 1896, and then a concrete arch in 1928. *Rock Creek. Originally 4 100-ft Bollman trusses, replaced by a stone arch bridge in 1896. Double-tracking was completed on the remainder of the branch in 1928. Several distinctive passenger stations, designed by architect Ephraim Francis Baldwin, were constructed along the line. Original stations still stand at Rockville (moved away from the tracks in 1981), Kensington, Gaithersburg, Dickerson, and Point of Rocks.〔 In 1906 a rear collision at Terra Cotta station killed 53 people. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Metropolitan Subdivision」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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