Newark station (Delaware)

Newark
SEPTA Regional Rail station
Newark station in April 2012
Location	10 Mopar Drive Newark, Delaware 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, 39, 46, 59, 302 Cecil Transit: 4, 5 UNICITY: N1, N2 James F. Hall Trail
Construction
Parking	380 spaces
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	NRK (Amtrak)
Fare zone	4 (SEPTA)
History
Opened	1877
Traffic
Passengers (2017)	13,614[1]  5.57% (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station Aberdeen toward Norfolk, Newport News, or Roanoke Northeast Regional Wilmington toward Boston South or Springfield SEPTA Terminus Wilmington/​Newark Line Churchmans Crossing toward Temple University
Former services Preceding station   Pennsylvania Railroad   Following station Iron Hill toward Washington, D.C. Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad Ruthby toward Philadelphia 30th Street Baltimore and Ohio Aberdeen toward Chicago Grand Central Main Line Wilmington Water Street toward Communipaw Aikin toward Chicago Grand Central
Newark Passenger Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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 7, 1982
Location
Newark Location within Delaware

Newark station 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]

Renovation and service upgrades

Prior to the mid-1980s a grade crossing was located shortly to the West of the station. As part of the Northeast Corridor Improvement Project it was removed and replaced with an overpass.

In 2012 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]

Track upgrades to increase capacity between Newark and Wilmington are underway including rebuilding and reconfiguring interlockings and adding a third track to 1.5 miles of the line.^[7]

An extension of Maryland's MARC commuter rail service has been discussed, connecting Newark to Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Currently, the MTA funds a local bus connection between Newark and Baltimore with a transfer at Elkton station.^[8]

On July 17, 2017, construction began on a project that will add new tracks, accessible platforms and a new station building. A groundbreaking ceremony was held with Governor John Carney, U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons, and U.S. Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester in attendance. The first phase of the project added more parking spaces and reconfigured the intersection with South College Avenue at the station. The second phase will construct the new station building, which will have restrooms, a waiting area, and parking for bicycles. A covered pedestrian bridge is also planned to be constructed over the tracks. The new station will have a high-level accessible platform between two tracks, allowing the station to serve two trains at one time.^[9] On May 30, 2018, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the new station building, with Governor Carney and Senator Carper in attendance.^[10] The project will allow for the expansion of SEPTA service at the station and for a possible extension of MARC service from Maryland.^[9]

References

External links

• Media related to Newark Rail Station (Delaware) at Wikimedia Commons

• Amtrak – Stations – Newark
• SEPTA station page for Newark
• Newark Amtrak & SEPTA Station (USA RailGuide -- TrainWeb)
• DART Commuter Rail Improvement Plan
• College Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Station House from Google Maps Street View
• Newark (NRK)--Great American Stations (Amtrak)