 Washington, DC - Upper Level | Vermonter | BWI Airport, MD  |
| Northeast Regional | Washington, DC - Lower Level | Amtrak Virginia: Northeast Regional |
| Palmetto |
New Carrollton, MD is the suburban station along the Northeast Corridor for Washington, DC. The station provides connections to the end of the Washington Metro's Orange (and as of June 2025 half of all Silver Line train service). Nearly all MARC Commuter Rail trains stops at the station except for a few Baltimore-bound rush hour express trains (all Washington-bound trains stop at the station). For Amtrak service the stop presently sees service only from many but not all Northeast Regional Trains, along with the Vermonter and Northbound only Palmetto. The station previously received more train service, including some Acela Express trains stopping until 2003. The station was never designed for long distance trains, and I don't believe it has ever offered checked baggage service since it opened in 1983.
The station itself feels like more of a Metro station than an intercity train station. It consists of a single high-level island platform that services two of the three electrified with overhead catenary railroad tracks through the station area. The Metro station platform and terminating trains clearly visible just opposite this platform. The platform can accommodate an approximately nine-car train. In the contains a simple canopy structure that covers approximately the length of five train cars. Two escalators (one in either direction), a staircase and an elevator provide access to leave the station via a tunnel that is shared with Metro Passengers, the station house is part of this tunnel and across from the Metro Station.
Platform signage is in a very old Amtrak format of purple signs that read New Carrollton on the top line and Maryland on the second line hanging from the platform canopy. The platform has modern LED departure screens and automated announcements that fully integrate both Amtrak and MARC trains. When I visited the station in Fall 2024 the station platform was being rebuilt with only half of the platform open, I assume this project with replace the old platform signs as well.
Photos 1-28: October 11, 2015; 29-46: October 1, 2024;
