“Senator Tom Carper has always been a faithful supporter of the University of Delaware and of our Science, Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Campus, where the Thomas R. Carper Train Station is a key component in building a vibrant community of scholars, innovators and entrepreneurs,” Assanis said. “It is entirely fitting that this station will bear the name of someone who played such a foundational role in helping us to realize our shared vision for the STAR Campus. We thank him for his service to the entire state of Delaware for the past 47 years.” 

With trains occasionally rolling by in the background, Carper recalled his first visits to the area, now surrounded by the STAR Campus, UD’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, its sports complexes and main campus. The first time he drove up Route 896, he said, a massive 3.4 million-square-foot Chrysler plant sat on the left, still churning out Plymouth and Dodge vehicles. At the time, the train station had been decommissioned.

Years later, in the early 2000s, the train station had been reopened but the Chrysler plant was shuttered. Carper received a call from then-University of Delaware president Patrick Harker, who told him about plans taking shape to bring the 272-acre site back to life and how he could be helpful to fulfill that vision.

“He said we’re taking the body of the Chrysler plant … and he had this idea for a science, technology and advanced research campus. And I said, ‘No cars?’” Carper said, drawing laughs from those assembled.

The station is a stop along the Northeast Corridor that services Amtrak and SEPTA trains, three bus services, and walking and biking trails.

Gardner said the station, which served 30,000 people last year, has been key to Amtrak’s strategy thanks to Carper’s work over the years. It will see only more growth as STAR continues to expand, he said, enhancing connections to research, biotech and other industries in Philadelphia, New York, Washington, D.C., and cities in New Jersey.

“It’s a great station built with this vision in mind, providing more connectivity to Newark and, really, to the University of Delaware campus,” Gardner said. “We see this community as a place that is ripe for better connectivity and future growth, not just for the local sector and Delaware transit service, but for connecting the whole region. The work that the University is doing to really locate innovation and make a place here — we see that growth developing. And we see this as part of our overall strategy for the corridor. Senator Carper has worked so hard to help us rebuild the assets and with that create more capacity to serve communities like Newark better.”