Wilmington station (Delaware)

Last updated

Wilmington, DE
Wilmington Station from parking garage, July 2014.JPG
Wilmington station in July 2014
General information
Other namesJoseph R. Biden, Jr., Railroad Station
Location100 South French Street
Wilmington, Delaware
United States
Coordinates 39°44′12″N75°33′04″W / 39.736759°N 75.551093°W / 39.736759; -75.551093
Owned by Amtrak
Line(s)Amtrak Northeast Corridor
Platforms2 side platforms, 1 island platform
Tracks3
Connections
Construction
ParkingPaid parking nearby
Bicycle facilities20 rack spaces [2]
AccessibleYes [1]
Other information
Station code Amtrak: WIL
SEPTA: 90203
IATA code ZWI
Fare zone4 (SEPTA) [1]
History
Opened1908 (1908)
Rebuilt2011
Electrified1928 [3] (toward Philadelphia)
1935 [4] (toward Washington D.C)
Previous namesFrench Street
Wilmington Pennsylvania Station
Passengers
FY 2023625,373 [5] (Amtrak)
Preceding station BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg Amtrak Following station
Baltimore Acela Philadelphia
toward Boston South
Vermonter Philadelphia
toward St. Albans
Baltimore
toward Chicago
Cardinal Philadelphia
toward New York
Baltimore
toward Charlotte
Carolinian
Baltimore
toward New Orleans
Crescent
Baltimore
toward Savannah
Palmetto
Baltimore
toward Miami
Silver Meteor
Silver Star
Newark, Delaware Northeast Regional Philadelphia
Preceding station SEPTA.svg SEPTA Following station
Churchmans Crossing
toward Newark
Wilmington/Newark Line Claymont
Former services
Preceding station Pennsylvania Railroad Following station
Newport Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad Edge Moor
toward Philadelphia
Terminus Wilmington Line Edge Moor
New Castle
toward Cape Charles
Delmarva DivisionTerminus
Preceding station BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg Amtrak Following station
Newark, Delaware Chesapeake Chester
Baltimore
toward Newport News
Federal Philadelphia
toward Boston South
Aberdeen
toward Tri-State
Hilltopper
Baltimore Metroliner Philadelphia
toward New York
Montrealer Philadelphia
toward Montreal
Wilmington Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Area2 buildings and 1 structure on 3.3 acres (1.3 ha)Architect Furness, Evans & Co. Architectural style Romanesque Revival NRHP reference No. 76000581 [7] Added to NRHPNovember 21, 1976
Location
Wilmington station (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.

Contents

Built in 1907 as Pennsylvania Station, the station was renamed in 2011 for then-Vice President (now President) Joe Biden, an advocate for passenger rail who routinely took the train from Wilmington to Washington, D.C. during his time as a Senator from 1973 to 2009. [8] In 1987, Biden formally announced his ultimately unsuccessful bid for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination at this station. Located on Front Street between French and Walnut Streets in downtown Wilmington, the station has one inside level with stores, a cafe/newsstand, Amtrak and SEPTA ticket offices, a car rental office, and restrooms. Passengers board their trains on the second-story train platforms.

History

The station from above in a 1977 Historic American Engineering Record survey photo PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD- WILMINGTON STATION. WILMINGTON, NEWCASTLE CO., DE. Sec. 1201, MP 26.80. (See HAER NO. DE-12D and 12E for further documentation on this site.) - Northeast HAER DEL,2-WILM,43-7.tif
The station from above in a 1977 Historic American Engineering Record survey photo
The station in 2010 during renovation Wilmington Furness Station.JPG
The station in 2010 during renovation

The station replaced an earlier station erected by the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad. [9]

It was built in 1907 for $300,000 by the PW&B successor, the Pennsylvania Railroad. [10] It was designed by renowned architect Frank Furness, who also designed the adjacent Pennsylvania Railroad Building (which housed the offices for the Delaware Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad) and the nearby Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's Water Street Station. The Pennsylvania Railroad Building has since been renovated; as of 2014, it holds the offices of ING Direct United States. [10]

Admired for his use of new and innovative materials and his forceful architectural statements, Furness chose to have the trains move right through the second floor of the station, with room for a ticketing and retail concourse at ground level underneath the tracks. [9] This unconventional arrangement celebrated the power of the locomotive and America's industrial strength. The north end of the station has a four-faced rectangular clock tower that rises an extra story above the main roof. It is decorated with stone and terra cotta work that is repeated in plainer form throughout the station. [9]

Wilmington Station has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1976. [11] A renovation project was conducted in 1984. [10] The National Register added the adjacent railroad viaduct in 1999. SEPTA has been running to Wilmington since 1989. [12]

In 2009, the station began a two-year restoration; about two-thirds of the $37.7 million in funding came from United States government stimulus funds. [8] [10] During construction, customer operations, including platform access, were moved to a temporary station next door. [10] The station reopened on December 6, 2010, and final work was completed in March 2011. [8] [13]

On March 19, 2011, the station's name was changed from Wilmington Station to Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Railroad Station. The ceremony honored U.S. Vice President (now President) Joe Biden, who took over 7,000 round trips from the station to Washington, D.C. during his U.S. Senate career and was noted as an advocate for Amtrak and passenger rail more generally. [8] [14] On January 20, 2017, within an hour after completing his tenure as vice president, Biden boarded an Amtrak Acela train in Washington, D.C. bound for his namesake station. [15]

The adjacent Wilmington Transit Center for DART First State bus service opened in May 2020. [16] A $11.6 million renovation of the station, which included two new escalators, was completed in October 2023. [17]

Services

Trains

A northbound Amtrak Northeast Regional train stops at Wilmington station Amtrak 605 on northbound Northeast Regional at Wilmington.JPG
A northbound Amtrak Northeast Regional train stops at Wilmington station

The station is served by Amtrak Northeast Regional and Acela trains along the Northeast Corridor going south to Baltimore and Washington, D.C., and going north to Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston. It is also served by several long distance trains including the Cardinal to Chicago, the Carolinian to Charlotte, the Crescent to New Orleans, the Palmetto to Savannah, the Silver Star and the Silver Meteor to Miami, and the Vermonter to St. Albans, Vermont. Amtrak Thruway service is provided through the station to Dover, Delaware and Salisbury, Maryland via Greyhound Lines.

Despite being just 25 miles south of Philadelphia's 30th Street Station, the third-busiest Amtrak station in the country, Wilmington Station is a major Amtrak station in its own right. It is the seventh-busiest Amtrak station in the Mid-Atlantic region (behind New York Penn, Washington Union, 30th Street, Baltimore Penn, Albany-Rensselaer and BWI) and the 13th-busiest nationwide.

It is also served by SEPTA Regional Rail's Wilmington/Newark Line with service to Center City Philadelphia and Newark, Delaware. Like all stations in Delaware, SEPTA service is provided under contract and funded through DART First State, which also provides extensive local bus service as they have since 1994.

Intercity buses

Wilmington Bus Station serving Greyhound Lines Wilmington Bus Station Delaware December 2018.jpeg
Wilmington Bus Station serving Greyhound Lines

Greyhound Lines intercity buses stop at the Wilmington Bus Station adjacent to the Wilmington station at 101 North French Street. The bus terminal is attached to the station's parking garage. Greyhound Lines provides direct, one-seat ride service from the bus terminal to various cities including Baltimore, New York City, Norfolk, Philadelphia, Richmond, and Washington, D.C. [18]

Local transit

Wilmington Transit Center serving DART First State buses Wilmington Transit Center from Front Street and Walnut Street.jpeg
Wilmington Transit Center serving DART First State buses

DART First State bus routes serving Wilmington station include 2, 5, 6, 10, 11, 13, 14, 18, 20, 28, 33, 35, 37, 40, 52, 301, and 305 (seasonally). Most buses stop at the Wilmington Transit Center adjacent to the station.

The Wilmington Transit Center was built as a DART First State bus hub adjacent to Wilmington station. A groundbreaking ceremony for the transit center was held on November 19, 2018, with Governor John Carney, U.S. Senator Tom Carper, Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki, DelDOT Secretary Jennifer Cohan, and DART First State CEO John Sisson in attendance. The Wilmington Transit Center serves most DART First State bus routes in Wilmington and includes a covered waiting area with seats, real-time bus displays, a ticket sales office, restrooms, vending machines, bicycle racks, and parking. Construction of the transit center cost $19 million and opened on May 17, 2020. [19] [20] [21]

See also

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</span> Public transportation authority

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly four million people in five counties in and around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It also manages projects that maintain, replace and expand its infrastructure, facilities and vehicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MARC Train</span> U.S. passenger rail system in Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area

MARC is a commuter rail system in the Washington–Baltimore area. MARC is administered by the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) and operated under contract by Alstom and Amtrak on track owned by CSX Transportation (CSXT) and Amtrak. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 3,860,600, or about 10,800 per weekday as of the first quarter of 2024, less than pre-COVID-19 pandemic weekday ridership of 40,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newark Penn Station</span> Transportation center in Newark, New Jersey

Newark Penn Station is an intermodal passenger station in Newark, New Jersey. One of the New York metropolitan area's major transportation hubs, Newark Penn Station is served by multiple rail and bus carriers, making it the seventh busiest rail station in the United States, and the fourth busiest in the New York City metropolitan area.

<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. 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">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 Transit Center</span> Train station in Trenton, New Jersey

Trenton Transit Center is the main passenger train station in Trenton, New Jersey. It is the southernmost stop in New Jersey on the Northeast Corridor. It is the terminus for NJ Transit trains to and from New York City and SEPTA Trenton Line Regional Rail trains to and from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and an intermediate station for Amtrak trains traveling between the two cities along the Northeast Corridor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilmington/Newark Line</span> SEPTA line between Newark, Delaware and Center City Philadelphia

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.

<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">Churchmans Crossing station</span>

Churchmans Crossing station is a SEPTA Regional Rail station in Newark, Delaware. Located at 1 Fairplay Boulevard, it serves the Wilmington/Newark Line. The station lies on the property of the Delaware Park Racetrack, and has a 125-space parking lot. It is served by SEPTA on weekdays only. Churchmans Crossing station is referred to as Fairplay Station at Churchmans Crossing by DART First State.

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

Newark station, also known as Thomas R. Carper 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">Harrisburg Transportation Center</span> Intermodal station in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

The Harrisburg Transportation Center is a railway station and transportation hub in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It is located on the eastern edge of Downtown Harrisburg between the intersections of Aberdeen and Market Streets and 4th and Chestnut Streets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DART First State</span> Delawares public transport system operator

The Delaware Transit Corporation, operating as DART First State, is the only public transportation system that operates throughout the U.S. state of Delaware. DART First State provides local and inter-county bus service throughout the state and also funds commuter rail service along SEPTA Regional Rail's Wilmington/Newark Line serving the northern part of the state. The agency also operates statewide paratransit service for people with disabilities. DART First State is a subsidiary of the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penn Line</span> MARC commuter rail service from Washington, D.C., to Perryville, Maryland

The Penn Line is a MARC passenger rail service operating between Union Station in Washington, D.C., and Perryville, Maryland, along the far southern leg of the Northeast Corridor; most trains terminate at Baltimore's Penn Station. It is MARC's only electrified line, though a majority of trains remain diesel powered. With trains operating at speeds of up to 125 miles per hour (201 km/h), it is the fastest commuter rail line in the United States. The service is operated by Amtrak under contract to the Maryland Transit Administration. MARC sets the schedules, owns most of the stations, and controls fares, while Amtrak owns and maintains the right-of-way, supplies employees to operate trains, and maintains the rolling stock. It is the busiest of MARC's three lines, with twice as many trains and riders as the Brunswick and Camden lines combined.

<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">Lamokin Street station</span>

Lamokin Street is a former regional rail station that was located on the SEPTA Regional Rail Wilmington/Newark Line at Lamokin Street in Chester, Pennsylvania. Until 1972, it was the junction for the Chester Creek Branch, controlled by nearby Lamokin Tower. The branch line was operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad and later Penn Central, until service ended in 1972 due to damage caused by Hurricane Agnes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">30th Street Station</span> Railway station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

30th Street Station, officially William H. Gray III 30th Street Station, is a major intermodal transit station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is metropolitan Philadelphia's main railroad station and a major stop on Amtrak's Northeast and Keystone corridors.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Wilmington/Newark Line Timetable" (PDF). SEPTA . April 16, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  2. "Wilmington Station". SEPTA . Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  3. "Electric Trains in Service on Pennsy". The Every Evening. Wilmington, Delaware. October 1, 1928. p. 1. Retrieved January 31, 2021 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  4. "N.Y.-Washington Electric Train Service Starts Sunday on P.R.R." The Daily Home News . New Brunswick, New Jersey. February 9, 1935. p. 3. Retrieved January 31, 2021 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  5. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of Delaware" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  6. "Fiscal Year 2021 Service Plan Update". SEPTA. June 2020. p. 24. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  7. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Travers, Karen (March 16, 2011). "'Amtrak Joe' Biden Gets His Own Train Station". ABC News. Archived from the original on March 19, 2011. Retrieved March 16, 2011.
  9. 1 2 3 Great American Stations. Accessed March 8, 2013.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Taylor, Adam (April 3, 2010), "Delaware transportation: For now, it's a headache on all sides of the tracks", The News Journal (Delawareonline), Wilmington: Gannett, archived from the original on November 4, 2012, retrieved December 9, 2010(subscription required)
  11. New Castle County Listings at the National Register of Historic Places (Building – #76000581)
  12. New Castle County Listings at the National Register of Historic Places (Structure – #99001276)
  13. "Historic Wilmington Train Station Re-Opens" (PDF) (Press release). Amtrak. December 6, 2010. Retrieved December 9, 2010.
  14. Bothum, Kelly (March 19, 2011). "Biden: 'I don't deserve' Amtrak station honor". The News Journal . Retrieved March 19, 2011.[ permanent dead link ]
  15. Cherry, Amy (January 20, 2017). "VIDEO: Crowd cheers, chants 'Welcome Home Joe' for the homecoming of Delaware's own". Wilmington, DE: WDEL. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  16. "New DART bus hub opens near train station". Delaware Business Now. May 20, 2020.
  17. "Amtrak Completes Wilmington Station Renovations" (Press release). Amtrak. October 23, 2023.
  18. "Wilmington Bus Station". Greyhound Lines. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  19. "Groundbreaking for Wilmington Transit Center Celebrated Today" (Press release). DART First State. November 19, 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  20. "Join DART for a Community Conversation". DART First State. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  21. "DART Statewide Service Change – Effective: Sunday, May 17, 2020". DART First State. Retrieved May 12, 2020.

Further reading