(The following story appeared on The News Journal website on September 15, 2009.)
WILMINGTON, Del. — Meet Tom Povlitz, railroad buff and contender for the title of World’s Greatest Optimist.
He’s walking down the aisle of a grimy, graffiti-covered passenger rail car, nearly every window either shattered, missing or covered with plywood. It is coupled to four more cars, all in the same condition.
The overhead lights are smashed, seats unbolted and overturned. The cars smell of mildew and age. But Povlitz sees beyond the mess.
He sees the makings of a commuter railroad, with gleaming steel cars ferrying passengers between Middletown and Wilmington as early as next spring.
“If you look at the amount of traffic that moves along that corridor, it’s amazing,” Povlitz said. “Everybody is in agreement that this is desperately needed.”
Indeed, the idea of a north-south commuter railroad in Delaware has been tossed around for decades, ever since passenger service to Dover ended in 1965. Six years ago, a General Assembly task force concluded ridership would be high enough to make it work but construction and operation would cost too much. The state Department of Transportation wants to take another look at it and last month applied for federal stimulus money for another study.
The question is whether Povlitz’s plan for a private railroad will work, since every commuter line in the nation is government-supported.
State transportation officials doubt it can.
Official pessimism isn’t Povlitz’s only hurdle: He doesn’t actually own the cars yet, and he doesn’t have permission from the state, the federal government or Norfolk Southern Corp., which owns the track, to run a railroad.
At least the rail cars actually work, right? Well, the optimist says, they were working when Metro-North Railroad retired them — 15 years ago. Amtrak towed them to a stretch of unused track in Glasgow last year.
Whatever the challenges, Povlitz said it’s time to make the railroad a reality. “This thing has been studied into the ground,” he said.
Many share the dream
Commuters, railroad fans and transportation officials have long dreamed of hopping on a train in a bedroom community like Middletown and riding to work in Wilmington. Or taking a train to Dover for business or down to the beach for the day.
Think of all the vehicles that would take off the roads, they say.
“We’ve been talking in this state for years and years about going down to Dover and beyond,” said Tom Crowley, an owner of Delaware Car Co. in Wilmington, which repairs and refurbishes passenger rail cars. “It’s a great idea.”
Povlitz, whose full-time job is selling and installing heating and air-conditioning systems, envisions commuters paying $8 or $9 for a round-trip ticket between Middletown — he’s not sure yet where riders would park their cars or board the train — and Wilmington’s Riverfront area, including a shuttle trip downtown. He’d start with two round trips a day, and expand as ridership increases.
Former state Rep. Nancy Wagner led the last task force that examined the possibility. It found that building a commuter rail line between Wilmington and Dover would cost $249 million to $290 million, with ridership estimated at 247,000 trips a year.
“About that time, the budget crunches started to hit, and there was no money,” Wagner said.
But demand for such a service was probably strong enough to make it viable, she said, especially between Wilmington and Middletown.
Wagner still believes it’s a good idea.
DelDOT is approaching the idea differently in an application last month for $900,000 for another study.
Instead of building a new commuter rail line with dozens of trains a day, DelDOT wants to see if an intercity service could succeed with two to four trains a day on existing rail lines.
J. Brett Taylor, DelDOT’s legislative and financial policy adviser, has said the study would consider starting with service between Wilmington and Middletown. If that succeeds, service could be extended to Dover, Sussex County and Berlin, Md.
An old idea
Funny, Povlitz said, but that’s what he’s been suggesting for almost 20 years.
Over the years, Povlitz has formed a couple of businesses, the latest incorporated in 2007 as Delaware Rail Project (Delrail) Inc. He has pitched his idea to dozens of people and agencies.
“We’ve had conversations with him off and on for the past 15 years,” DelDOT spokesman Darrel Cole said.
Povlitz talked to the Delmarva Rail Passenger Association recently, president Tom Posatko said. Members loved the idea.
“I’m glad to hear he’s still around,” Posatko said. “But it seemed like a pretty brave venture to go out there on your own.”
Povlitz also spoke with Sen. Tom Carper’s staff, who referred him to DelDOT and the Delaware Economic Development office, spokeswoman Emily Cunningham said.
“He’s talking to anyone who will listen,” said DEDO’s Jeff Stone. “He’s a guy with a vision, and he’s on a mission to get there.”
One convert has been Warren Vanderslice, a retired chemist whose Delrail business card describes him as head of marketing.
Vanderslice said he saw the traffic congestion in northern Delaware and knew it wasn’t going to improve unless commuters had an alternative. Over time, Povlitz convinced him a small railroad would work.
Finding a way
The first thing Povlitz would need is railroad tracks, or at least access to them.
A few years ago, he stumbled upon a 2004 report from the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, that gave him hope.
The report mentions how Delaware paid to reconstruct a bridge for Norfolk Southern. In exchange, the report says, the freight railroad gave DelDOT free access to its rails for commuter service for 20 years.
“The critical thing is the fact that there’s an existing agreement with the state,” Povlitz said. “Assuming we can piggy-back on that, that reduces the cost dramatically.”
That’s a big assumption, DelDOT and Norfolk Southern spokesmen said.
DelDOT won’t discourage Povlitz, Cole said, but it’s almost impossible for a private enterprise to run a commuter railroad.
“It doesn’t make money,” Cole said. “Even in densest corridors of the Northeast, the best it does is break even.”
Fares generally cover only a third of the cost of public transit services, said Virginia Miller of the American Public Transportation Association.
Norfolk Southern spokesman Rudy Husband is more straightforward.
“We had one conversation and told him we really aren’t interested,” Husband said. “Any type of commuter service in Delaware on Norfolk Southern lines would have to be done through DelDOT.”
Povlitz is undeterred.
“That’s pretty much the standard message” from Norfolk Southern, he said. “They’ll come to the understanding that this is a mutually beneficial proposal.”
The next thing Povlitz would need are rail cars, so he went shopping on the Internet.
In June 2007, he found five 109-passenger SPV 2000’s for sale by the New York Susquehanna & Western Technical & Historical Society. Built in 1981, the self-propelled diesel cars had been used by Metro-North Railroad around New York City until they were retired. He won’t reveal the price he negotiated.
So far, the cars haven’t cost Povlitz anything, because he hasn’t paid for them.
“He’s never come across with any money or anything,” said Wayne Nilsen of the historical society. “He’s waiting for some family to send him money.”
Povlitz also hasn’t paid Amtrak the $75,000 it billed him to move them from New York to Glasgow last October.
All the bills will be paid very soon, Povlitz said. His silent partner, a local businessman from Jordan, is settling an estate there and will have the money soon, he said. He wouldn’t name the man.
“He asked to be kept in the background,” Povlitz said.
Povlitz hopes to move the cars soon to a stretch of track near Delaware City, where they can be restored.
A complete overhaul of a rail car can cost up to $1 million, said Crowley of Delaware Car Co., which did some refurbishing work on these cars when Metro-North operated them. Though the SPV 2000 was known to have problems with an overheating engine, Crowley said they should be workable.
“They have a stainless-steel body, so if they’re maintained, they’ll last forever,” Crowley said.
Povlitz hopes to get the first two cars restored and spiffed up by Christmas.
He would also need approval from the Federal Railroad Administration, which looks at safety issues, and the federal Surface Transportation Board, which oversees all rail operations.
Despite all the hurdles he faces, Povlitz is convinced the railroad will be carrying passengers by early next summer.
In fact, he expects to be overwhelmed by riders. He’s already shopping around for more cars.