Mixed Results Expected In Excursion Train Study; Railroad Condition A Likely Concern

Mixed Results Expected In Excursion Train Study; Railroad Condition A Likely Concern
photo courtesy Lancaster Online

SNOW HILL — The feasibility study on a potential excursion train in Worcester County has been completed, although details are scarce as the County Commissioners want time to process the information before making it public.

The response from commissioners this week is that the train seems to still be a possibility though obstacles requiring a funding commitment appear likely.

The results of the $20,000 feasibility study, which was ordered in July, came back mid-week and none of the commissioners reached this week that have seen it felt they had given the report enough attention to discuss its contents fairly. The plan is to have Stone Consulting, Inc., the firm responsible for the study, meet with the commission to discuss the findings at an upcoming session.

“I think we’re going to bring it up, depending upon the agenda, at the next commissioner meeting,” said Commission President Bud Church. “What I’ve been told is that there is some really, really good news and there’s some not so good news but I don’t know what that is.”

The rest of the commission was also quiet on what the good and bad news could be, but the condition of the existing railroad track running between Berlin and Snow Hill has always been in question, and sources maintained this week the report raises safety concerns. An excursion passenger train would be using that same track and improvements would probably be needed.

Major damage on the railroad occurred during a 2012 storm, washing out the foundation of the tracks in some areas. At that time, the Maryland and Delaware Railroad Company reported about 100 feet of rail line just south of Showell was unusable. Repairs were made and trains resumed running along the route for a time, but it’s been months since a train has come through Berlin, leading many to question the safety of the existing rail line.

“I’m not naïve enough to believe that there isn’t a price tag that’s going to go along with this from somebody. Obviously, you can’t run a train on track that’s not safe,” said Commissioner Virgil Shockley.

Like Church, Shockley wants time to process the study before talking about it publically. Besides concerns with track conditions, Shockley also wonders how much cooperation the county might need from the State Highway Administration to make an excursion train happen. The rail crosses some roads along its route, including US 113, and with a passenger train Shockley guessed that there might need to be some improvements to rail crossings. However, he was optimistic and isn’t counting out a train yet.

Fellow Commissioner Judy Boggs went a step further, saying that the train is still “an exciting possibility” and that she is looking forward to learning the details. But like the others she was realistic that installing a train will not be an easy process and there’s no guarantee that after meeting with Stone Consulting that the commission will feel comfortable moving on to the next phase.

“I’ve been excited about it since I first heard it and when I first heard it I didn’t even think about: what is it going to cost? What are the problems? Those are the things that we have to look at and that’s why we did the feasibility study,” she said.

What all of the commission did agree on is that the excursion train has caught the attention of many in the community, most of whom seem positive about having a passenger train run a route through the southern part of the county.

Shockley and Boggs both said that, despite this being election season, the train is one of the topics most often brought up recently when they have received calls from constituents.

If the commissioners like what they read in the study and what Stone Consulting has to say, if not at their next regular meeting than almost certainly the first meeting after, then it could be time for the county to explore further partnerships.

“I’m hoping that the study will basically tell us their view of if we have enough people and what do we need to do and what are we looking at,” said Shockley. “If everything looks good, I guess we’ll lay out more money and hopefully if anybody is interested in doing this people in Pennsylvania will shell out some and I guess we’ll take a shot at it.”

However, the next decision may lie with a new set of County Commissioners. The election is scheduled for Nov. 4 and there will be at least three new faces in the group and possibly as many as five. If the commission chooses to wait on approving a follow-up, it’s hard to gauge how opinions could shift.