Proposal would connect Delmarva to Amtrack Corridor with new Diamond State Line

December 12, 2023

Rob Flaks,

DELMARVA – For the first time in over 100 years passenger rail could be heading to the Delmarva Peninsula.

A proposal from the Federal Rail Administration as part of an 800 Billion dollar push from the Biden Administration to expand existing lines and build new ones across us includes an expansion to the existing mid-Atlantic, starting in either Wilmington or Newark and terminating in Salisbury or Berlin.

As part of that expansion project, known as the FY22 Corridor ID Program FY, FRA selected the Delaware Transit Corporation’s proposed Diamond State Line, which would connect the Northeast Corridor to eastern Maryland via central Delaware.

The Entry into the Corridor ID Program establishes a long-term partnership between FRA and the corridor sponsor in which FRA will provide technical assistance and financial support throughout the entire lifecycle of the project.

As part of the first step, the corridor sponsor will prepare a scope, schedule, and cost estimate for developing a Service Development Plan, which will determine and document how the corridor will be implemented including identifying capital projects necessary for service to begin, according to FRA Spokesman William Wong.

Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce President Bill Chambers says if completed, the route would fundamentally change the economics of the area and constitute the most major federal investment in Salisbury in recent memory.

“Can you imagine now someone who wanted to work in Philadelphia or Wilmington or Baltimore has the opportunity to live and enjoy the assets we have on the Eastern Shore and then commute into their job,” Chambers said adding that he believes both choices for an end terminus for the proposed line would be a strong boost to the local economy.

“Salisbury, with the airport and the expansion of the airport, is a perfect link as the final stop on the line, Berlin and its proximity to the beaches makes sense as well,” he said adding “the federal government doesn’t make investments in something that’s not going to have a return to their coffers, and I think the federal government sees this area as a gold mine. 10,15, 20 years into the future.”