Newark station (Delaware)

This article is about the Amtrak station in Delaware. For the station in New Jersey, see Pennsylvania Station (Newark).
Newark
Location 10 Mopar Drive
Newark, DE 19713
United States
Coordinates 39°40′13″N 75°45′11″W / 39.67028°N 75.75306°W / 39.67028; -75.75306Coordinates: 39°40′13″N 75°45′11″W / 39.67028°N 75.75306°W / 39.67028; -75.75306
Owned by Amtrak
Line(s) Northeast Corridor
Platforms 2 side platforms
Tracks 4
Connections DART First State: 16, 33, 59, 65
James F. Hall Trail
Construction
Parking 380 spaces
Disabled access Yes
Other information
Station code NRK
Fare zone 4 (SEPTA)
History
Opened 1877
Traffic
Passengers (2015) 12,636[1] Increase 1.8% (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station
Northeast Regional
SEPTA
TerminusWilmington/Newark Line
Newark Passenger Station
Location 429 S. College Avenue,
Newark, Delaware
Area 0.1 acres (0.04 ha)
Built 1877
Architect S. T. Fuller
Architectural style Late Victorian, High Victorian
MPS Newark MRA
NRHP Reference # 82002346[2]
Added to NRHP May 07, 1982
Location
Newark
Location within Delaware

Newark is a train station in Newark, Delaware, on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor, serving Amtrak Northeast Regional trains and SEPTA Wilmington/Newark Line Regional Rail trains.

Service

The Newark station is the southern terminus of weekday service for SEPTA; it does not serve the station on weekends. Like all stations in Delaware, SEPTA service is provided under contract and funded through DART First State.

The station is located at Mopar Drive and South College Avenue, and travelers arriving at the station must walk a few blocks north along South College Avenue to reach the University of Delaware or the businesses centered on Main Street. A 380 space parking lot exists, mostly serving park and ride passengers bound for Wilmington, Delaware, or Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The James F. Hall trail also runs along the north side of the tracks.[3]

The station building, originally constructed by the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad in 1877, is adjacent to the southbound platform, and at one time also had connecting branches to Pomeroy, Pennsylvania and Delaware City, Delaware. It is now home to the Newark Historical Society,[4] but does not function as a train station. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since May 7, 1982. The station is built on a "T" plan with a hipped cross-gable roof and Victorian detailing such as ornamental brackets and sawtooth brickwork.[5]

In 1986, Newark's city council authorized an application for a state of Delaware Bicentennial Improvement Fund grant for the acquisition and redevelopment of the Newark station, and on March 27, 1987, Amtrak deeded the station building to the city. By September, the city had hired John Milner Associates of West Chester, Pa., to develop architectural specifications for restoration. Restoration work encompassed the first floor ticket booths, the ladies' and men's waiting rooms, modernized upstairs offices, and rebuilt canopies on the exterior. SEPTA has now been to Newark Delaware since 1997.[5]

Proposed renovation and upgrades in service

Recently a new federal grant was awarded to upgrade the station into a multi-modal hub. This includes new platform, eliminating grade crossings, upgrades to the adjacent rail yard and new ticketing machines.[6]

Additionally, many track upgrades between Newark and Wilmington are now underway including adding a complete third track.[7] This would allow northbound and southbound Amtrak trains unrestricted travel while commuter trains could travel in the third track between local stops.

An extension of Maryland's MARC commuter rail service has been discussed, connecting Newark to Baltimore and Washington D.C.[8]

Previously the plan was to build a new station near Route 72 (Library Avenue) and South Chapel Street (Approximate Location 39°40′23″N 75°44′24″W / 39.673°N 75.74°W / 39.673; -75.74) is listed on the Federal Transit Administration's "Final Design" list; however, since the University of Delaware's acquisition of land surrounded the existing station the station no longer needs to move to grow.

References

  1. ↑ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2015, State of Delaware" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2015. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  2. ↑ National Park Service (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  3. ↑ "James F. Hall Trail". Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. Retrieved 2010-12-05.
  4. ↑ "Newark Historical Society". NEWARK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. Retrieved 2014-01-13.
  5. 1 2 Great American Stations. Accessed March 8, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Tiger IV Rail Grant".
  7. ↑ "$13.3 Million Rail Grant".
  8. ↑ MTA Maryland (May 2011). "Summary Minutes MARC Riders Advisory Council Meeting" (PDF). Retrieved 2013-03-01.
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