Delawareans will be able to catch trains from the new McDowell Transportation Center in Claymont starting next Monday, December 4th.
This marks the end of former State Senator Harris McDowell’s decades-long fight to bring a new and accessible train station to Claymont.
He says it will be a huge asset for low-income, working class people in the state- allowing them to travel for work and pleasure at a low cost.
“If a person doesn’t have a good enough salary they’re not going to get to Philly from here. So this is going to help them to do that. It will expand their horizons. And that’s just one of the things that this will do,” said McDowell, for whom the station is named.
He adds the new station is also helping to revitalize the area as a piece of ongoing efforts to redevelop the old Claymont Steel site.
The current Claymont station is the busiest commuter rail stop in the state. State Rep. Larry Lambert, a lifetime Claymont resident, says he used it to commute to school every day as a student at Temple University in Philadelphia.
Lambert notes the new station includes ADA-compliant features like elevators, visual and audio announcements, and improved signage.
“It’s everything that we need. So for our brothers and sisters who are differently abled to now have full access to a working station… it’s everything,” said Lambert.
There's also a free parking garage and outdoor lot with over 800 spaces, bicycle parking, 13 free to use electric vehicle charging stations, and an overhead passenger bridge.
State Senator Kyle Evans Gay expects the new station will improve the lives of longtime community members, and draw in new ones.
“It will be transformational for not only building our local economy, but for building our community in a positive way,” she explained.
In addition to SEPTA trains, DART buses will also stop at the McDowell Transit Center - creating a new transportation hub at the northern point of the state, and making commuting to-and-from work in Wilmington or Philadelphia easier and safer.
