Chesapeake Connector: Freight and Passenger Rail Benefits
The purpose of this task is to quantify passenger and freight rail opportunities for the
Chesapeake Connector Project in Cecil County, Maryland. The end result should be an
estimate of demand for intercity passenger rail service for Amtrak and MARC commuter
services and to quantify freight benefits in terms of carloads and potential new markets. A
cost/benefit analysis will also help to determine the need and the timing for any physical
improvements. The study will also examine whether the necessary train movements could
be facilitated utilizing existing track connections between CSX and NS, minimizing
impacts on existing communities. For the purpose of this study, the third track expansion
between Prince and Bacon, and the grade separation at Perry will be treated as two
separate projects, with cost/benefits for each, and the final report will show separate
recommendations for both projects. The study result will also provide a path forward with
a series of actions that will advance this project in accordance with federal and private
funding options.
This effort will provide the elements of a Service Development Plan as defined by the
Federal Rail Administration (FRA) in identifying the purpose and need, demand and
revenue forecasts and the rationale. It will also provide activities necessary for both
Delaware and Maryland to move this project forward.
