MAROP and Delaware. The Mid-Atlantic Rail Operations Plan (MAROP), developed by a working group comprised of Amtrak, the two freight railroads and planners from six states, is an attempt to address both freight and passenger rail investment in the NEC as a partnership between public and private entities. MAROP has devised a “wish list” of projects that will improve both passenger and freight rail operations in the northeast region6. Funding is a major issue; neither the states nor the private railroads can fund the desired improvements by themselves. It is unclear whether the Federal government, which provides 90% of the 6 I-95 Corridor Coalition, Mid-Atlantic Rail Operations Study Summary Report, April 2002 funding for many highway projects, will contribute to MAROP. It remains to be seen how many of the MAROP projects will in fact happen. But one small state, Delaware, has taken matters into its own hands. One proposed MAROP improvement was the replacement of the Shellpot Bridge, a bridge over the Xxxxxxxxx River in Delaware on a rail freight bypass around the city of Wilmington, DE. The state and Norfolk Southern Corporation (which owns the track in question) reached an agreement to return the bridge to service in a move that benefited both NS and Delaware. How this happened, and the results that have been achieved, is a story that illustrates the value public/private partnerships can produce for all parties.
