January 16, 2024 Take a Train to the Airport

Would it not be great to catch an urban train from downtown Wilmington to the ILM airport to connect to your flight. Think of all the money you could save on parking.

Attached Is an article written by my associate, Steve Unger, discussing this concept.

I hope you find it interesting.

Gene Merritt
Around Town  With Gene Merritt
Blog # 27
January 16, 2024

Rail Link to Wilmington International Airport ?

By Steve Unger

When $3.5 Million in Federal funds became designated for passenger rail corridor evaluation in North Carolina, the Wilmington to Raleigh route (via Goldsboro) was one of seven routes to receive $500,000 to get started.

One of those corridors stands out because it proposes a direct high speed Amtrak connection to the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport in South Carolina and then Atlanta Hartsfied-Jackson International, the world’s busiest airport.

While Amtrak currently connects directly with only four airports nationwide: Baltimore/Washingon (BWI), Hollywood Burbank (BUR) Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), it provides service to others by commuter rail links.

Could Wilmington International Airport (ILM) be next? The tracks for the proposed Wilmington/Raleigh train route actually cross Hall Road (off Blue Clay Road) at the old airport entrance and could theoretically be connected to an airport terminal with short spur.

Think about it. Out of the 20 flights that go inbound and outbound from Wilmington daily only six each go to a North Carolina destination (Charlotte). None go to Raleigh although Piedmont Airlines once connected Wilmington and Raleigh in the pre-jet era.

If you want to go to Raleigh right now from the Port City on mass transit, you have to take a bus. That’s why rail makes so much sense with a target of 70 – 80 mph trains and estimated travel time under three hours according to current estimates.

Adding three round trips from ILM is almost like adding three more flights (each way) a day and providing a commuter link to downtown, too (where the new Wilmington train station will be located). In fact, one DOT Rail official suggested that the potential for more commuter trains from the airport to the city could make sense in the future.

The rapid growth of ILM has been nothing short of astounding over the last 50 years. With the Raleigh rail proposal from Wilmington now on the table, creating an airport link would not significantly add to the total project cost, expected to be greater than $300 million. In addition, federal funds are specifically available for airport expansion – which could cover a terminal link to rail travel.

DOT-Rail officials point out that each stop on the Wilmington/Raleigh route adds approximately eight minutes to the total travel time and stops that use a spur (such as Goldsboro, too) will take a little longer. How many passenger stops that will be created along the way is open to question although Burgaw, Wallace, Warsaw, Goldsboro, Selma and Clayton are all open to consideration. So why not ILM?

(Steve Unger is President of Eastern Carolina Rail, a non-profit organization dedicated to restoring rail travel between Wilmington and Raleigh).