Perryville, MD

The Perryville station serves passengers who ride the Penn Line of the Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC) train service. Opened in 1905, the red brick building was designed in the Georgian Revival style and features elements such as Palladian windows and inset stone panels. Operated under contract with Amtrak, the Penn Line runs between Washington, D.C. and Perryville via Baltimore, and is the most traveled of all three MARC Lines (the Brunswick and Camden Lines comprise the other two).

The Penn Line is also among the fastest commuter rail lines in the country, with trains traveling at speeds of up to 125 mph. Each weekday, MARC carries more than 20,000 passengers. In early 2011, it responded to increased ridership on the Penn Line by placing additional trains-representing approximately 1,000 seats-into service during the peak morning and evening ridership periods

Located where the Susquehanna River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, Perryville is blessed with a rich rail legacy. In the 1830s, four independent railroads worked to construct a continuous rail line between Baltimore and Philadelphia. Although they united together in 1838 to form the Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore Railroad (PW&B), the new company was financially unable to bridge the wide Susquehanna. A ferry shuttled passengers and freight between Perryville, on the east side of the river, and Havre de Grace, on the west side, until a bridge was finally opened in 1866.

The PW&B was a vital piece of rail infrastructure that was used by the rival Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) and the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) to reach Philadelphia and the lines leading to New York City. In 1881, the PRR quietly purchased the PW&B, forcing the B&O to find a new route. Subsequently, the PRR was able to offer through service from Washington, D.C. to New York City, consolidating its control over what is now the southern half of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor.

The Perryville Station also is home to the Perryville Railway Museum, which honors the town's railroad workers. Exhibits include railroad pictures and memorabilia from different time periods of Perryville history, as well as a model train layout showing how the tracks for both Norfolk Southern and Amtrak run through Perryville.