Passenger rail service could return to the Delmarva Peninsula more than 60 years after the last regular passenger train made its final run. Delaware transportation planners are studying a proposed rail corridor that could eventually connect northern Delaware with communities as far south as Salisbury or Berlin. Delmarva Public Media’s Elizabeth Axehead reports on what it would take to bring passenger trains back to the peninsula.
On New Year’s Eve in 1965, the Blue Diamond made its final trip between Wilmington and Delmar, ending regular passenger rail service on the peninsula. Now, transportation planners are considering whether trains could make a return.
The proposed Diamond State Line would run from northern Delaware through Dover, with possible extensions toward Salisbury or Berlin. The corridor is one of 69 selected nationwide for a federal passenger rail development program.
The study comes as Delmarva continues to grow. Sussex County alone is projected to reach roughly 370,000 residents by 2050. But WILMAPCO principal planner Dave Gula said planners have to look beyond population totals.
“We can't just look at while the numbers are going up, we got to look at who's in those numbers and where are they coming from,” Gula said.
Delaware has completed the first phase of the federal process and is awaiting approval for a roughly $5.4 million second-stage study, with federal funds potentially covering 90 percent.
Any eventual service would require substantial investment. Freight trains currently travel as slowly as 20 miles per hour on parts of the peninsula, while a 2023 estimate placed construction costs between $648 million and $718 million, not including trains.
“If it's taking you six hours to get from Georgetown to Wilmington, some people might still use it, but most will not,” project manager Albert Loyola said.
Rail could also provide another option for residents who cannot drive or afford a car.
“It's people who say, ‘I don't have that choice, so help me out,’” Gula said.
“We can build this if we wanted to,” Loyola said. “Should we build it, is the other question.”
If federal officials approve the next phase, planners say Delmarva residents will have opportunities to weigh in before any decision on construction is made.
