For all the work now going on in Claymont, one significant project isn’t quite on track: improving the train station.
The station, used primarily by area residents commuting to Philadelphia on SEPTA’s R2 line, is inadequate, said Brett Saddler, executive director of the Claymont Renaissance Development Corporation.
[caption id="attachment_24751" align="alignright" width="259" caption=" A look at how many travelers arrive and depart at Claymont station via SEPTA's R2 Philadelphia rail line."]
The number of commuters has increased by about 50 percent since 2003, according to figures provided by the Wilmington Metropolitan Area Planning Council (WILMAPCO), with 1,229 passengers getting on or off trains at Claymont on an average weekday last year.
The parking lot is jammed, passengers must wait for their trains in “a glorified bus shelter” during inclement weather, and a pedestrian tunnel between the parking lot and the northbound tracks floods out four or five times a year, Saddler said. When the tunnel floods, SEPTA must run buses between Claymont and Marcus Hook, Pa., to get commuters to and from their trains, he said.
Access to the station is also a problem. Pedestrians may reach the station from the south via an overpass that crosses Interstate 495, or by walking from Philadelphia Pike along narrow Myrtle Avenue, which has no sidewalk. Buses have a difficult time navigating the parking lots, and traffic on Myrtle Avenue backs up during peak periods.
As the new Darley Green community attracts more residents, many of them with jobs in Philadelphia, improving access to the station via Myrtle Avenue will become critical, Saddler said.
The station’s deficiencies go beyond providing accessibility and a modicum of comfort for passengers. Because the station is located on a slight curve and its track bed is not level, it is difficult for passengers who use wheelchairs to get on and off the trains from the low-level platforms, Saddler said.
Any new station would most likely have high-level platforms, eliminating the need for passengers to step up or down when getting on or off the train, said Dave Gula, a senior planner at WILMAPCO. A new station would probably be located slightly north of the current one, Saddler said.
WILMAPCO did work with New Castle County government, the state Department of Transportation and local groups between 2006 and 2008 to create a concept plan for a new train station, Gula said.
Key components of that plan included:
- A new 4,000-square-foot station building with climate control, a ticketing office, restrooms, and other amenities
- New 520-foot-long, high-level platforms with canopies in both directions
- A reconfigured, separated bus drop-off area, premier parking for carpool and ride-share vehicles, and a new pedestrian walkway through the parking lot
- Sidewalk and pedestrian lighting improvements on Myrtle Avenue
- Expanded parking
- Improved pedestrian access and bus movement
Environmental and preliminary engineering studies are the next step in the process, Gula said. The state has not set aside funds for the project, and construction would take two to four years after funds are appropriated, he said.
Improving the station and access to it are essential if Claymont is to meet its goal of being “a walkable community with easily accessible public transportation,” Saddler said.
