Berks, Montgomery commissioners vote to form passenger railroad authority
The officials took the vote following hearings on creating the Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority
A proposed plan to restore passenger rail service between Reading and Philadelphia has taken a major step forward, with Berks and Montgomery counties approving creating the Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority.
Both counties voted Thursday, leaving a vote from commissioners in Chester County the last remaining hurdle needed to form the authority. A vote is scheduled to take place in Chester County on Wednesday.
Proponents of restoring passenger rail service from Philadelphia to Reading — with stops in Montgomery and Chester counties — say creating the authority is a key piece to making the idea a reality.
They say the Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority would provide legitimacy in competitive efforts for infrastructure funding, have the power to receive federal funding, spend money to develop plans and work directly with organizations such as Amtrak, PennDOT, the Federal Railroad Administration and other necessary partners.
To create the authority, each of the counties involved is required to hold a public hearing. Montgomery held theirs on Wednesday, and Berks held a hearing
Thursday immediately before the commissioners’ vote.
If all three counties approve the formation of the authority, each will contribute $100,000 to get it started.
The Berks hearing
David Hunter, director of the Berks County Planning Commission, opened the hearing with a presentation highlighting the proposed route of the passenger rail line and explaining why proponents of the authority believe it is needed.
He unveiled a preliminary map of the proposed service line that showed stations in Reading, Birdsboro, Pottstown, Royersford, Phoenixville, Valley Forge and Norristown.
Hunter said the resolution to create an authority would include a requirement for equal responsibility of funding between the counties and reauthorization in three years to give county officials an opportunity to determine if the authority is a worthwhile effort. It would also establish a nine-member authority with three appointees from each county.
The following are the proposed members of the authority:
• Christian Leinbach, Berks County commissioner
• Marian Moskowitz, Chester County commissioner
• Kenneth Lawrence Jr., Montgomery County commissioner
• Jim Gerlach, president of the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance
• Eddie Moran, Reading mayor
• Brian O’Leary, director of the Chester County Planning Commission
• Peter Urscheler, Phoenixville mayor
• Scott France, director of the Montgomery County Planning Commission
• David Zellers, director of the Montgomery County Commerce Department
Hunter told the commissioners that now is the time to move forward with the authority, noting there have been recent developments that could help make the restoration of rail service a reality.
“The vote today is a huge step forward for the restoration of passenger rail service,” he said.
The creation of an authority will allow the project to benefit from some recent developments, most notably the signing of a federal infrastructure bill last fall that includes two aspects that will be crucial for the project.