Tentative deal reached for expanded Newark train station

NEWARK – State officials and Amtrak have reached a tentative agreement on an innovative new plan for an expanded Newark train station that they believe will seamlessly blend passenger service and operations in the adjacent freight yard, boost regional passenger service and provide a modern, regional gateway to the University of Delaware’s growing science and technology campus.

The $35 million project, envisioned for nearly two decades and facing a 2018 deadline for expenditure of a $10 million federal grant, had stalled over the last year. The freight railroad, Norfolk Southern Corporation, expressed concern with how the train station would affect its operations. Norfolk Southern is the largest freight operator in the state.

Given the need for additional planning, permitting requirements, ordering materials and the uncertainty of weather conditions, state officials say work needs to commence sometime next year to meet that deadline.

Norfolk Southern’s concerns haven’t vanished; for now, the carrier says only that it will “evaluate” the plan. But all the other players feel that this design, with inevitable tweaking, provides a workable solution for everyone.

The previous plan called for taking up to eight acres of Norfolk Southern property. A platform would have been built between the four main Amtrak tracks and Norfolk Southern’s freight yard, with a 300-foot passenger bridge connecting the two over the freight yard.

The state figures the total cost of the reconfiguration would have more than doubled the cost, and Delaware would have had to pick up the difference.

The plan unveiled Friday, a site design developed by DelDOT and refined by Amtrak, rejects that concept, instead calling for creation of an 850-foot-long passenger rail platform that begins just east of the freight yard and runs under the South College Avenue bridge to the west, roughly twice as long as the current SEPTA platform.

The design also calls for a train station that would replace the current kiosk, which stands on the northeastern edge of the STAR Campus, and stand directly under the bridge. And in a creative twist, Track A, which runs closest to the platform, would be re-routed behind it, also passing under the bridge and down the length of the platform. Together with new crossovers on Tracks A and 1, it would provide multiple options for moving freight and passenger trains in and out of the station – including Amtrak access.

Access to parking and other issues regarding the use of the STAR Campus still have to be worked out with UD, said Mark Tudor, DelDOT’s assistant director for project development.

The modifications also open the door for closing a 20-mile gap in passenger train service between Newark and Perryville, Maryland, on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, the busiest rail corridor in the United States.

“We will build a station that could potentially accept MARC trains,” said Brett Taylor, a policy adviser to Transportation Secretary Jennifer Cohan. “However, it’s MARC’s decision to come up here.”

The cost to reconfigure and upgrade interlockings, relocate and upgrade wire-bearing catenaries and, eventually, widen track centers to accommodate a future with more high-speed trains, will cost an additional $30 million – $40 million. The state expects that cost to be borne by Amtrak as part of its capital improvement plan.

The new plan, Tudor said, was developed by Amtrak “as a way to help facilitate the discussions between Amtrak, DelDOT and Norfolk Southern to address these freight and passenger issues.”

“Freight traffic is heavy and slow,” explained Dave Gula, a transportation planner with the Wilmington Area Planning Council. “It can take a long time to change tracks and exit yards because it’s so big.”

As such, said John Sisson, chief executive officer officer of the Delaware Transit Corporation or DART, “The way we operate now, we have a limited window when we can bring trains in. When a SEPTA train is there now, a Norfolk Southern train can’t access the New Castle Secondary (the rail connection to the Port of Wilmington). And so part of this design has always been to allow more free movement of both those things so we can bring more trains to Newark.”

Norfolk Southern has seen the plan, but isn’t yet showing its hand.

“Norfolk Southern supports enhanced passenger rail service throughout our 22-state system, while never losing sight of the core NS mission – to provide safe, reliable and efficient freight rail service to our customers and communities,” spokesman David Pidgeon said in an emailed statement. “That includes Delaware and the entire Northeast Corridor.

“We’ll evaluate the new Newark station proposal thoroughly, and we’ll continue to dialogue with Amtrak and DelDOT to ensure our ability, now and in the future, to support local economies and jobs that depend on Norfolk Southern.”

The plan didn’t start coming together until late in 2014, following a November meeting arranged by Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., to which he brought U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. Norfolk Southern, however, came away unconvinced about that plan’s viability – particularly, the elevated walkway, Gula said.

“Wasn’t their favorite thing,” Gula said with a chuckle.

“It was pretty complicated, and pretty expensive,” Gov. Jack Markell said Friday afternoon. “I think this is a very positive development, and I think this is going to be of great value to the STAR Campus. ... It just opens up all kinds of doors.”

Markell heaped praise on Carper, a prime mover of the project, including the $10 million grant and a separate $2.4 million planning grant. Carper said he believes an enhanced Newark station “will create access to multimodal transportation and add to the region’s economic potential.

“I’m excited that this project can finally get underway and look forward to seeing the transformation of the former Chrysler plant continue to take shape.”

Staff writer Melissa Nann Burke contributed to this report.

Contact William H. McMichael at (302) 324-2812 or bmcmichael@delawareonline.com. On Twitter: @billmcmichael