Return of rail keeps gaining momentum
When it comes to certain subjects, many people in these parts have developed a perfectly rational fear of optimism. Efforts to reestablish passenger rail service definitely belong in that category.
It’s been 40 years since people living along the Schuylkill River valley between Norristown and Reading had convenient access to trains. Anyone wishing to travel to Philadelphia, New York and other major cities had to either drive or take a bus, if one was even available at the time they wanted to go.
The cruel irony is that soon after the elimination of rail service, there was an explosion of residential and commercial development along Route 422 between King of Prussia and Pottstown. The result is that much of the time traffic slows to a crawl on the would-be expressway along that route. That’s not to mention the further headaches people have trying to travel on the Schuylkill Expressway and Blue Route.
Longtime residents have seen proposal after proposal aiming to restore rail service and address the region’s transportation problems. None ever got anywhere. But now there’s good reason to embrace the idea that this may happen.
Last week President Joe Biden signed a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill that includes significant funding for rail expansion. Better yet, Amtrak already is on board with the idea of establishing service in this area. The national rail agency’s capital expansion plan calls for having three daily round trips with stops in Reading, Pottstown, Phoenixville, King of Prussia, Norristown and Philadelphia, then on to New York. The trip from Reading to Philadelphia would take about an hour and a half. The journey to New York would take about three hours.
Amtrak’s plan calls for the addition of 39 new routes serving 160 new communities. That also includes new routes connecting Allentown and Scranton to New York.
Amtrak’s involvement is crucial here. The infrastructure bill includes $66 billion to modernize and expand the rail service. And unlike regional transit providers, Amtrak has legal leverage that makes it much more likely passenger service could be established on the same tracks now used exclusively for freight traffic. That would make it possible to get this done in a faster, more affordable way than past proposals. Organizers believe rail service could be put in place within just five to seven years.
Amtrak estimates the rail lines will produce $54 million in annual economic impact and $1.8 billion in economic activity from initial capital investments. Recent studies show rail connection between Phoenixville, Pottstown and Reading, could support 3,000 to 6,400 riders per day, according to Jody Holton, an assistant general manager at SEPTA.
Leaders around the region agree that improving the transportation infrastructure is essential to boosting economic growth. It likely would mean new development and increased property values near the stations, and it would make it easier for people outside our area to visit this region’s cities and towns.
Another reason for optimism is that there’s great support for this idea among local officials throughout the region. Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties have formed a tri-county passenger rail committee. It is working to establish an authority that would receive federal funding and employ staff to develop plans.
We’re glad to see such broad recognition that communities to the northwest of Philadelphia are badly underserved when it comes to intercity transportation. Some of our towns are practically disconnected from the rest of the world for those who don’t drive or prefer not to deal with big-city traffic. Regularly scheduled trains to Philadelphia and New York would make those cities much more accessible and make it easy to connect to other places across the country as well.
The momentum for this long-awaited development only grows. We urge local government, business and nonprofit leaders to continue their efforts to seize it and make this dream a reality.
Longtime residents have seen proposal after proposal aiming to restore rail service and address the region’s transportation problems. None ever got anywhere. But now there’s good reason to embrace the idea that this may happen.