Wilmington/Newark Line

Last updated
Wilmington/Newark Line
R2 Newark.gif
SEPTA R2 Gliding Along.jpg
A 2-car Silverliner IV train seen at Prospect Park station
Overview
Termini
Stations22
Website septa.org
Service
Type Commuter rail
System SEPTA Regional Rail
Operator(s) SEPTA Regional Rail
Rolling stock Electric Multiple Units, push-pull trains
Daily ridership3,420 (FY 2022) [1]
Technical
Track gauge 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification Overhead line, 12 kV 25 Hz AC
Route map
Wilmington Newark Line 2015.png
Wilmington Newark Line.png
BSicon CONTg.svg
BSicon ACC.svg
2.1 mi
3.4 km
Temple University
BSicon tSTRa.svg
BSicon tINTACC.svg
0.5 mi
0.8 km
Jefferson
MFL
BSicon tINTACC.svg
0 mi
0 km
Suburban
BSicon tSTRe.svg
BSicon INTACC.svg
0.9 mi
1.4 km
30th Street
BSicon TRAM.svg MFL NJT logo.svg BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg
BSicon eHST.svg
South Street
BSicon HSTACC.svg
1.8 mi
2.9 km
Penn Medicine
BSicon CONTgq.svg
BSicon ABZgr.svg
WAW
to Wawa
BSicon ABZgl.svg
BSicon CONTfq.svg
AIR
BSicon LSTR.svg
11.1 mi
17.9 km
Former stations
BSicon eHST.svg
11.1 mi
17.9 km
42nd Street
BSicon eHST.svg
Grays Ferry
BSicon eHST.svg
58th Street
BSicon eHST.svg
Mount Moriah
BSicon eHST.svg
Bonaffon
BSicon eHST.svg
11.1 mi
17.9 km
Paschall
BSicon STR+GRZq.svg
11.1 mi
17.9 km
Zone
 CC 
2
BSicon HST.svg
6.1 mi
9.8 km
Darby
BSicon HST.svg
6.8 mi
10.9 km
Curtis Park
BSicon eHST.svg
Academy
BSicon HST.svg
7.2 mi
11.6 km
Sharon Hill
BSicon HST.svg
7.7 mi
12.4 km
Folcroft
BSicon HST.svg
8.3 mi
13.4 km
Glenolden
BSicon HST.svg
9.0 mi
14.5 km
Norwood
BSicon HST.svg
9.5 mi
15.3 km
Prospect Park
BSicon STR+GRZq.svg
Zone
 2 
3
BSicon HST.svg
10.4 mi
16.7 km
Ridley Park
BSicon HST.svg
11.2 mi
18 km
Crum Lynne
BSicon eHST.svg
Baldwin
BSicon HST.svg
12.3 mi
19.8 km
Eddystone
BSicon ACC.svg
13.4 mi
21.6 km
Chester T.C.
BSicon eHST.svg
Lamokin Street
BSicon HST.svg
15.5 mi
24.9 km
Highland Avenue
BSicon eHST.svg
Thurlow
BSicon eHST.svg
Trainer
BSicon BHF.svg
17.1 mi
27.5 km
Marcus Hook
BSicon STR+GRZq.svg
Delaware
Pennsylvania
Zone
 3 
4
BSicon HSTACC.svg
19.6 mi
31.5 km
Claymont
BSicon ACC.svg
26.8 mi
43.1 km
Wilmington BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg
BSicon HSTACC.svg
32.5 mi
52.3 km
Churchmans Crossing
BSicon ACC.svg
38.7 mi
62.3 km
Newark BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg
BSicon CONTf.svg

The Wilmington/Newark Line is a route of the SEPTA Regional Rail commuter rail system in the Philadelphia area. The line serves southeastern Pennsylvania and northern Delaware, with stations in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania, Wilmington, Delaware, and Newark, Delaware. It is the longest of the 13 SEPTA Regional Rail lines.

Contents

Route

The Wilmington/Newark Line runs on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor, making local stops along the way.

Only weekday peak trains run to Newark. One morning train to Newark runs as an express service from University City to Chester before turning into a local serving Marcus Hook and the Delaware stations. All trains on weekends terminate at Wilmington. Service in Delaware is funded in part by the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT).

As of 2022, most weekday Wilmington/Newark trains operate through the Center City tunnel to and from Lansdale/Doylestown Line points. Most weekend Wilmington trains run through to and from Elm Street in Norristown on the Manayunk/Norristown Line. [2]

History

Silverliner V SEPTA Regional Rail train at Wilmington station SEPTA Silverliner V 735 at Wilmington Station.jpeg
Silverliner V SEPTA Regional Rail train at Wilmington station

The line north of Wilmington was originally built by the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad. The original alignment was opened January 17, 1838, and on November 18, 1872, a realignment opened north of Chester (part of the old route is now used for the Airport Line). South of Wilmington the line was built by the Wilmington and Susquehanna Railroad and opened July 31, 1837. The Pennsylvania Railroad obtained control in the early 1880s. Electrified service was opened between Philadelphia and Wilmington on September 30, 1928. Electrified operation was extended to Newark and beyond to Washington, D.C., on February 10, 1935. In 1968, the Pennsylvania Railroad merged into Penn Central. In 1976 Conrail took over, and SEPTA took over on January 1, 1983. When SEPTA took over service, commuter rail service in Delaware was eliminated, with the Claymont and Edgemoor stations closed. [3]

Under SEPTA, commuter service from Philadelphia originally terminated in Marcus Hook. On January 16, 1989, service was extended south into Delaware to end at Wilmington. A stop was added in Claymont in 1991. [4] In the mid-1990s, a transportation study took place for extending SEPTA service from Wilmington to Newark. The proposal called for stations at Newport (near the former Newport Railroad Station), Metroform (now Churchmans Crossing), Newark, and West Newark (at Otts Chapel Road). A review by DelDOT challenged the locations of the stations in Newport, Newark, and West Newark. [5] SEPTA service was extended south from Wilmington to Newark September 2, 1997. The Churchmans Crossing station between Wilmington and Newark opened in 2000. [4]

On July 25, 2010, SEPTA renamed the service from the R2 Newark to the Wilmington/Newark Line as part of system-wide service change that drops the R-number naming and makes the Center City stations the terminus for all lines. This also ended the combined R2 Newark/R2 Warminster service.

SEPTA activated positive train control on the Wilmington/Newark Line on May 1, 2017. [6]

On April 9, 2020, service on the line was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, [7] though Penn Medicine station was still being served by other rail services. [8] Service between 30th Street Station and Wilmington resumed May 10, 2020 on a modified schedule as part of the Southwest Connection Improvement Program. [9] Service to Newark resumed on January 25, 2021, in order to offer public transit options during a construction project along Interstate 95 in Wilmington. [10] Previously, Amtrak announced the completion of the Delaware Third Rail Project in December 2020. The project installed the third track between Wilmington and Newark that would increase the capacity. [11]

Station list

The Wilmington/Newark Line trains make the following station stops, after leaving the Center City Commuter Connection:

StateZone [2] LocationStation Miles (km)
from
Center City
Date openedConnections / notes
PA CC University City, Philadelphia Penn Medicine Wheelchair symbol.svg 1.8 (2.9)Aiga railtransportation 25.svg SEPTA Regional Rail:   Airport    Manayunk/Norristown    Media/Wawa    Warminster    West Trenton  
Aiga bus trans.svg SEPTA City Bus: 40 , LUCY
2 Darby Darby 6.1 (9.8)
Sharon Hill Curtis Park 6.8 (10.9)March 7, 1949 [12] Aiga bus trans.svg SEPTA Suburban Bus: 115
AcademyClosed March 7, 1949 [12]
Sharon Hill 7.2 (11.6)Aiga bus trans.svg SEPTA Suburban Bus: 115
Folcroft Folcroft 7.7 (12.4)Aiga bus trans.svg SEPTA Suburban Bus: 115
Glenolden Glenolden 8.3 (13.4)
Norwood Norwood 9.0 (14.5)
Prospect Park Prospect Park 9.5 (15.3)The station was named Moore until April 1, 1932 [13]
3 Ridley Park Ridley Park 10.4 (16.7)1871 [14]
Crum Lynne 11.2 (18.0)Aiga bus trans.svg SEPTA Suburban Bus: 114
Eddystone
BaldwinClosed October 4, 1981 [15]
Eddystone 12.3 (19.8)Aiga bus trans.svg SEPTA City Bus: 37
Chester Chester Transportation Center Wheelchair symbol.svg 13.4 (21.6)Aiga bus trans.svg SEPTA City Bus: 37
Aiga bus trans.svg SEPTA Suburban Bus: 109 , 113 , 114 , 117 , 118 , 119
Lamokin Street Closed July 1, 2003 [16]
Highland Avenue 15.5 (24.9)Aiga bus trans.svg SEPTA Suburban Bus: 113
Trainer TrainerClosed 1979
Marcus Hook Marcus Hook 17.1 (27.5)Aiga bus trans.svg SEPTA Suburban Bus: 119
DE 4 Claymont NaamanClosed March 26, 1978 [17]
Claymont Wheelchair symbol.svg 19.6 (31.5)1991 [3] [18] Aiga bus trans.svg DART First State: 13, 61
Aiga bus trans.svg SEPTA Suburban Bus: 113
Edgemoor Edge MoorClosed January 1, 1983 [3]
Wilmington Wilmington Wheelchair symbol.svg 26.8 (43.1)1989 BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg Amtrak: Acela , Cardinal , Carolinian , Crescent , Northeast Regional , Silver Meteor , Silver Star , Vermonter
Greyhound no dog.svg Greyhound Lines
Aiga bus trans.svg DART First State: 2, 5, 6, 10, 11, 13, 14, 18, 20, 28, 33, 35, 37, 40, 52, 301, 305 (seasonal)
Newark Churchmans Crossing Wheelchair symbol.svg 32.5 (52.3)2000Aiga bus trans.svg DART First State: 54, 62
Newark Wheelchair symbol.svg 38.7 (62.3)1997 BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg Amtrak: Northeast Regional
Aiga bus trans.svg DART First State: 10, 33, 46, DART Connect
Aiga bus trans.svg Cecil Transit: 4

Ridership

Between FY 2013-FY 2019 annual ridership on the Wilmington/Newark Line ranged between 2.5 and 2.8 million before collapsing during the COVID-19 pandemic. [note 1]

500,000
1,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
2,500,000
3,000,000
FY 2013
FY 2014
FY 2015
FY 2016
FY 2017
FY 2018
FY 2019
FY 2020
FY 2021
FY 2022
FY 2023

See also

Notes

  1. Data for individual lines is not available for FY 2020. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claymont, Delaware</span> CDP in Delaware, United States

Claymont is a census-designated place (CDP) in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population of Claymont was 9,895.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SEPTA Regional Rail</span> Commuter rail service in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US

The SEPTA Regional Rail system is a commuter rail network owned by SEPTA and serving the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The system has 13 branches and more than 150 active stations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, its suburbs and satellite towns and cities. It is the sixth-busiest commuter railroad in the United States, and the busiest outside of the New York, Chicago, and Boston metropolitan areas. In 2016, the Regional Rail system had an average of 132,000 daily riders and 118,800 daily riders as of 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilmington station (Delaware)</span> Passenger rail station in Wilmington, Delaware

Wilmington station, also known as the Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Railroad Station, is a passenger rail station in Wilmington, Delaware. It serves nine Amtrak train routes and is part of the Northeast Corridor. It also serves SEPTA Regional Rail commuter trains on the Wilmington/Newark Line as well as DART First State local buses and Greyhound Lines intercity buses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharon Hill station (SEPTA Regional Rail)</span>

Sharon Hill station is a SEPTA Regional Rail station in Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania. It serves the Wilmington/Newark Line, with southbound service to Wilmington and Newark, Delaware and northbound service to Philadelphia. This station is about 12-mile (0.80 km) away from the Sharon Hill terminus of the SEPTA Route 102 trolley, although no direct connection exists between the two stations. It is not a staffed station and has no ticket machines. The historic station building, which was originally built in 1872, is abandoned and is to be restored. It is located at Sharon & Woodland Avenues. Amtrak trains pass through but do not stop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chester Transportation Center</span> SEPTA station in Chester, Pennsylvania

The Chester Transportation Center is a SEPTA bus and train station in Chester, Pennsylvania. The outside portion of the ground level serves SEPTA City Transit Division Route 37, and Suburban Transit Division Routes 109, 113, 114, 117, 118, and 119.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trenton Line</span> SEPTA Regional Rail system line

The Trenton Line is a route of the SEPTA Regional Rail system. The route serves the northeastern suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with service in Bucks County along the Delaware River to Trenton, New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airport Line (SEPTA)</span> SEPTA Regional Rail line, Pennsylvania

The Airport Line is a route of the SEPTA Regional Rail commuter rail system in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which officially runs between Philadelphia International Airport through Center City to Temple University station. In practice, however, only a few trains originate or terminate at Temple University; most are through routed with lines to the north after leaving the Center City Commuter Connection. Half of weekday trains are through routed with the Warminster Line, with the other half of weekday trains through routed with the Fox Chase Line. All weekend and holiday trains are through routed with the Warminster Line and terminate either in Warminster or Glenside.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curtis Park station</span>

Curtis Park station is a station along the SEPTA Wilmington/Newark Line and Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. Amtrak does not stop here; the station is only served by SEPTA. The station is officially located at Elmwood Avenue near Calcon Hook Road in Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania. In reality it is located at the dead ends of Oak Avenue, one block east of Calcon Hook Road, and is accessible from Calcon Hook Road from Woodlawn Terrace on the north side of the tracks and Elmwood Avenue from the south side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norwood station</span>

Norwood station is a SEPTA train station on the Wilmington/Newark Line. While on tracks owned by the company, Amtrak trains do not stop here, as it is served only by SEPTA. The line offers southbound service to Marcus Hook, Wilmington and Newark, Delaware and northbound service to Philadelphia and points beyond. The station, located at Winona & Welcome Avenues in Norwood, Pennsylvania, includes a 62-space parking lot on its outbound platform side. Pedestrian walkways and staircases connect the inbound and outbound platforms via the Amosland Road Bridge, which overpasses the tracks. Opposite the tracks from the SEPTA designated parking lot is metered street and lot parking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcus Hook station</span>

Marcus Hook station is a station along the SEPTA Wilmington/Newark Line and Amtrak's Northeast Corridor in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania. Amtrak does not stop here; the station is only served by SEPTA. Many locals continue on to Wilmington and Newark. However, some trains terminate at this station. Located at 12th & Washington Streets, the station has a 147-space parking lot. The line offers southbound service to Wilmington and Newark, Delaware and northbound service to Philadelphia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claymont station</span>

Claymont station is a station on the Northeast Corridor in Claymont, Delaware. Claymont has two high-level side platforms with a pedestrian bridge over the tracks. It is served by SEPTA Wilmington/Newark Line local service; Amtrak intercity services bypass the station via the inner tracks. The station is the northernmost stop in Delaware, continuing towards Wilmington and Newark. It has a parking garage with 464 spaces and an outdoor parking lot with 343 spaces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newark station (Delaware)</span> Train station in Newark, Delaware

Newark station is a train station in Newark, Delaware, on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor, serving a limited number of Amtrak Northeast Regional trains and SEPTA's Wilmington/Newark Line regional rail trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perryville station</span> Railway station in Perryville, Maryland, US

Perryville station is a passenger rail station on the Northeast Corridor in Perryville, Maryland. It is the northern terminus of the MARC Penn Line. The station has a single side platform serving the northern track of the four-track Northeast Corridor. The station building houses the Perryville Railroad Museum, which includes a model train layout and exhibits about the history of railroads in Perryville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warminster Line</span> SEPTA Regional Rail service

The Warminster Line is a route of the SEPTA Regional Rail commuter rail system. It serves stations between its namesake town, Warminster, and Center City Philadelphia. Half of the route is shared by other lines, including the Lansdale/Doylestown Line, West Trenton Line, Fox Chase Line, Chestnut Hill East Line, and Manayunk/Norristown Line. All trains continue as part of the Airport Line with the exception of some weekday trains that terminate at 30th Street Station, Thorndale, or Trenton Transit Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Trenton Line</span> SEPTA regional rail line

The West Trenton Line is a SEPTA Regional Rail service connecting Center City Philadelphia to the West Trenton section of Ewing Township, New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Media/Wawa Line</span> SEPTA Regional Rail line between Center City Philadelphia and Wawa, Delaware County

The Media/Wawa Line is a SEPTA Regional Rail service that runs from Center City Philadelphia west to Wawa in Delaware County. It uses the West Chester Branch, which connects with the SEPTA Main Line at 30th Street Station. Under the Pennsylvania Railroad, service continued to West Chester, Pennsylvania. On September 19, 1986, however, service was truncated to Elwyn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paoli/Thorndale Line</span> SEPTA Regional Rail service from Philadelphia to Thorndale

The Paoli/Thorndale Line, commonly known as the Main Line, is a SEPTA Regional Rail service running from Center City Philadelphia through Montgomery County and Delaware County to Thorndale in Chester County. It operates along the far eastern leg of Amtrak's Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line, which in turn was once the Main Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad and is now part of the Keystone Corridor, a federally-designated high-speed rail corridor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manayunk/Norristown Line</span> SEPTA Regional Rail line

The Manayunk/Norristown Line is a commuter rail service in Southeastern Pennsylvania between Center City Philadelphia and Norristown, and one of the 13 lines in SEPTA's Regional Rail network. It has the second highest operating ratio (19.9%) on the SEPTA Regional Rail network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chestnut Hill West Line</span> SEPTA Regional Rail line

The Chestnut Hill West Line is a commuter rail line in the SEPTA Regional Rail network. It connects Northwest Philadelphia, including the eponymous neighborhood of Chestnut Hill, as well as West Mount Airy and Germantown, to Center City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elkton station</span> Former railway station in Elkton, Maryland, US

Elkton station is a former passenger rail station located in Elkton, Maryland. The last passenger service to the station was Amtrak's Chesapeake from 1978 to 1983. The brick station building still remains along the Northeast Corridor tracks.

References

  1. 1 2 SEPTA Data Group. "Route Operating Statistics" . Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Wilmington/Newark Line Timetable" (PDF). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. December 16, 2018. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 "Rail Unions Set Strike Deadline". The Morning News. Wilmington, Delaware. February 10, 1983. p. 23. Retrieved October 30, 2017 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  4. 1 2 "Delaware State Rail Plan" (PDF). Delaware Department of Transportation. 2011. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  5. "DelDOT Questions Planned Rail Stops". The News Journal. Wilimington, Delaware. November 26, 1994. p. 3. Retrieved April 17, 2019 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  6. "Positive Train Control Update". SEPTA. May 1, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  7. "Service Information". SEPTA . Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  8. "SEPTA Regional Rail & Rail Transit Lifeline Service" (PDF). SEPTA. 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  9. "Southwest Connection Improvement Program". SEPTA. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  10. "Regional Rail Select Schedule Changes – Select Lines Sunday, January 24, 2021". SEPTA. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  11. "Amtrak Completes Delaware Third Track Project". Amtrak Media. 2020-12-07.
  12. 1 2 "New Curtis Park Station". Delaware County Daily Times. March 5, 1949. p. 2. Retrieved April 1, 2018 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  13. Baer, Christopher T. "A General Chronology of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company Its Predecessors and Successors and Its Historical Context: 1932" (PDF). Pennsylvania Railroad Technical Historical Society. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  14. "Latest News By Mail". Lancaster Daily Intelligencer. November 23, 1880. p. 2. Retrieved April 1, 2018 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  15. Tulsky, Fredric N. (September 24, 1981). "Rail Cuts Approved by SEPTA". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 23. Retrieved October 30, 2017 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  16. "On the Railroad Lines" (PDF). The Delaware Valley Rail Passenger. Vol. 21, no. 6–7. Delaware Valley Association of Rail Passengers. July 2003. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  17. "Public Notice: Station Abandonment". The Philadelphia Inquirer. January 6, 1978. p. 17. Retrieved October 30, 2017 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  18. "Delaware State Rail Plan" (PDF). Delaware Department of Transportation. 2011. p. 4-6, 4-8. Retrieved October 30, 2017.