Delaware transit officials have revived a long-running proposal to restore passenger rail service to Newport, with early projections putting a new station's weekday ridership at between 85 and 225 passengers on SEPTA's Wilmington/Newark line.

The Delaware Transit Corporation, which operates as DART, held a public workshop last week to gather feedback on a conceptual plan for the station. The site under consideration sits at the intersection of James and Water streets, next to the Interstate 95 overpass. The concept calls for roughly 100 parking spaces, improved sidewalks and a bike lane under the James Street overpass.

DART executive Albert Loyola put the odds of the station actually being built at about "50-50." He said public support exists, but the Delaware Department of Transportation would have to select the project for funding through what he described as a "very competitive" capital improvement plan.

No construction dollars are committed. DelDOT has, however, set aside money for a comprehensive report analyzing potential designs and costs, scheduled for completion by the end of the year.

The proposal would give Delaware its fifth rail station, less than a year after SEPTA threatened to cut its commuter rail service to the state entirely amid a financial crisis. Governor Matt Meyer's office said last fall that Delaware intends to keep relying on SEPTA for rail service to Philadelphia, with the state contributing about $10 million annually to support the operation.

Delaware has invested heavily in stations over the past decade, including a $90 million facility in Claymont that opened on the Wilmington/Newark line. That project ran $50 million over its initial estimate and included a parking garage and a large surface lot. The current Newport concept is far more modest, with only a small surface parking lot.

If the plan advances, Loyola said, Delawareans would gain another travel option in the state's congested northern corridor.

"In [Interstate] 95, there's always a lot of traffic. This would be another alternative, and it'll be an affordable alternative," Loyola said.

The ridership forecast could shift depending on SEPTA service decisions. Loyola said the numbers could rise if SEPTA adds more frequent service to Newark, an option the agency is considering. They are unlikely to change if Maryland extends MARC rail service into Delaware from Baltimore: the Maryland Transit Administration's long-range growth plan anticipates MARC trains stopping at Newark and Wilmington but not at the other Delaware stations.

The handful of residents who attended Tuesday's workshop voiced support for the project. Dave Tiberi, owner of a local security company, said the station could bring new visitors to the town.

"They're going to see firsthand that it's a beautiful town and it's safe. It's got a lot of the features that people look for," Tiberi said.

State Sen. Elizabeth Lockman, a Democrat representing West Wilmington, also attended the workshop. She said Newport has become a positive example of a town encouraging alternative forms of transportation, but acknowledged that the station's future remains uncertain.

Lockman said it is "hard to say" whether her colleagues in the legislature would help fund the project without knowing its cost. Still, she sees broad agreement on the underlying need.

"I think all of us see the benefits of that, and we wish maybe we'd done more of that in recent decades. But, you know, there's no better time than the present to start reorienting," Lockman said.

DART plans to hold an open house sometime in July to gather further public input on the plans, and the agency is accepting comments on the Newport Train Station Study by phone at 1-855-925-2801. The DelDOT design and cost report due by year-end will determine whether the project advances into the capital program competition that Loyola says will decide its fate.