Claymont station

Claymont station (also known as Claymont Transportation Center and Harris B. McDowell III Transportation Center) 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.

Claymont
Claymont station in December 2023
General information
Location	4500 Philadelphia Pike Claymont, Delaware
Coordinates	39°48′15″N 75°26′46″W
Owned by	DART First State
Line(s)	Amtrak Northeast Corridor
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	4
Connections	DART First State: 13, 61 SEPTA Suburban Bus: 113
Construction
Parking	807 spaces[1]
Bicycle facilities	9 rack spaces[2]
Accessible	Yes[3]
Other information
Fare zone	4[3]
History
Closed	1983–1990[4]
Rebuilt	1990, 2023
Passengers
2017	534 boardings, 608 alightings (weekday average)[5]
Rank	45 of 146
Services
Preceding station SEPTA Following station Wilmington toward Newark Wilmington/​Newark Line Marcus Hook toward Temple University
Former services Preceding station Pennsylvania Railroad Following station Edge Moor toward Wilmington Wilmington Line Naaman toward Suburban Station
Location

History

The former Claymont station in April 2012

Claymont station was originally built by the Pennsylvania Railroad as a commuter rail stop between Philadelphia and Wilmington. Service passed on to the Penn Central Railroad in 1968 and Conrail in 1976. The former depot, built by the Pennsylvania Railroad, burned down on July 25, 1981.^[6] When SEPTA took over service from Conrail on January 1, 1983, Claymont station was closed as service in Delaware was eliminated.^[7] Claymont station reopened to SEPTA service on October 29, 1990, with retrofitted bus shelters constructed at the station.^[4][8]

The former Claymont station at Myrtle and Marion avenues was replaced with the Claymont Regional Transportation Center. The new station is located 1⁄2 mile (0.80 km) north of the former station at the former site of Evraz Claymont Steel, which is being redeveloped into a mixed-use office, commercial, and light industrial development, and will have connections to area roads, public transportation, and pedestrian and bicycle facilities. Plans for the new station date back to 2005. On July 29, 2016, the Claymont Regional Transportation Center received a $10 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation.^[9]

Construction on the Claymont Regional Transportation Center began in spring 2019.^[10][11] The new station cost $90 million to build. The Claymont Regional Transportation Center, which was dedicated in honor of former State Senator Harris McDowell III in 2022, features two high-level side platforms with a pedestrian bridge over the tracks, a parking garage with 464 spaces, an outdoor parking lot with 343 spaces, and electric vehicle charging stations.^[1] A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new station was held on November 27, 2023, with transportation officials, the state's congressional delegation, and station namesake Harris McDowell III in attendance.^[12] The Claymont Regional Transportation Center opened for train and bus service on December 4, 2023.^[1][13]

References

1. Korfhage, Matthew (November 22, 2023). "Sneak peek of the new $90M Claymont transportation center, opening soon to rail commuters". The News Journal. Wilmington, DE. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
2. "Claymont Station". SEPTA. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
3. "Wilmington/Newark Line Timetable" (PDF). SEPTA. April 16, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
4. "Delaware State Rail Plan" (PDF). Delaware Department of Transportation. 2011. p. 4-6, 4-8. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
5. "Fiscal Year 2021 Service Plan Update". SEPTA. June 2020. p. 24. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
6. "Fire Termed Suspicious Guts Delaware Train Station". The Philadelphia Inquirer. July 27, 1981. p. 2B. Retrieved March 30, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Rail Unions Set Strike Deadline". The Morning News. Wilmington, Delaware. February 10, 1983. p. 23. Retrieved October 30, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Train service to resume Monday in Claymont". The News Journal. October 27, 1990. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "$10 Million TIGER Grant Will Begin Construction of New Claymont Regional Transportation Center" (Press release). DART First State. July 29, 2016. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
10. "DelDOT Projects Portal – Project: Claymont Station". deldot.gov. Delaware Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
11. "New Claymont Train Station Project to Begin in Spring" (PDF) (Press release). DART First State. February 21, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
12. Phillips, Mike (November 27, 2023). "VIDEO - Claymont Transportation Center to open next week". WDEL. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
13. Fowser, Mark (December 4, 2023). "VIDEO - "It's incredible!" - commuters get first rides at Claymont Transportation Center". WDEL. Retrieved December 4, 2023.

External links

Media related to Claymont station at Wikimedia Commons

• SEPTA – Claymont station