Twinbrook station is located in the southern section of Rockville, one of the largest communities in Montgomery County. Specifically, it lies to the east of the intersection of Rockville Pike and Halpine Road, the railway's right-of-way splitting the latter in two.[2]
Transit-oriented development
Like other Metro stations in Montgomery County, Twinbrook is a center for planned transit-oriented development. The county planning department released the Twinbrook Sector Plan in 2009, which acts as a guideline for mixed-use, walkable development around the station.[3] To fulfill this vision, the plan splits the surrounding area into three zones heading east: a mixed-use urban core area, a technology center, and a light industrial section. In addition, it calls for the redesign of certain arterial roads in the neighborhood such as Twinbrook Parkway and Parklawn Drive as well as connecting dead-end streets to create a grid, aiding walkability.[3] Not included in the Sector Plan is the Twinbrook Station project, which occupies land directly adjacent to the Metro station.[4]
History
The station opened on December 15, 1984[5] as part of a 7-mile (11 km), four-station northwestern extension of the Red Line[6] between Grosvenor–Strathmore and Shady Grove stations.[5]
Station layout
Twinbrook is served by an island platform west of the CSXMetropolitan Subdivision tracks, which carry Amtrak and MARC Trains. Both the east and west sides of the station have bus bays, surface parking, and kiss and ride lots. These areas are connected to each other and to the platform by a ground-level underpass underneath the embankment holding the tracks. The station is also the only one to have only a single escalator serving the platform, usually heading up. An elevator and stairs provide access to exit the platform area. East of this station, it goes into a short tunnel.
