(The News-Journal posted the following article by J.L. Miller on its website on May 6.)
WILMINGTON, Del. — An engineering firm hired to evaluate the feasibility of restoring Dover-to-Wilmington passenger rail service is recommending the service initially run only between Middletown and Newark, where passengers could connect to SEPTA’s R2 line to get to Wilmington.
Taking an incremental approach to establishing commuter rail service would reduce initial costs while preserving the options of extending service to Dover and Wilmington, officials from DMJM + Harris told the General Assembly’s Commuter Rail Task Force on Monday.
David Boate, project manager for DMJM + Harris, said the Middletown-to-Newark segment would cost from $120 million to $138 million to build. A Dover-to-Wilmington line would cost $245 million to $290 million, Boate said.
If Delaware chooses to pursue the project, Boate said, “2010 is still a realistic date for opening.”
The task force, headed by Rep. Nancy Wagner, R-Dover North, has been studying the feasibility of re-establishing rail service since 2001. Regular passenger rail service ceased downstate in 1965.
Wagner said she was encouraged by the report, but added, “We must never lose sight of the fact that the ultimate goal is to get to Dover.”
Under the incremental approach proposed Monday, riders wanting to commute to Wilmington would board in Middletown and change trains to the SEPTA R2 line at Newark.
Tom Posatko, president of the Delmarva Rail Passenger Association, said he was worried that forcing riders to change trains would discourage people from taking the train.
“It might look good on paper, but does it work in the real world?” Posatko asked.
The consultants estimate ridership for a Middletown-to-Newark train in 2010 at 182,000 trips. That number would increase to 233,000 by 2025.
Extending service to Dover would boost the 2010 ridership total to 247,000 trips, a figure that would rise to 310,000 in 2025.
Operation and maintenance costs for the Middletown-to-Newark rail line would be $2.6 million to $3 million a year.
Round-trip fares estimated at roughly $10 would come close to covering the operation and maintenance costs if ridership estimates hold true.
Coming up with the money to build the system, though, could be more difficult.
Transportation Secretary Nathan Hayward III said Delaware has “a reasonable shot” at re-establishing rail service. However, he said, “It’s a … lot of money.”
With the draft report complete, Wagner said, the next step is to pass a resolution authorizing more spending to pursue federal money for the project.
The study process so far has cost about $800,000.