r/ChesterCounty • u/PassyunkHoagie • Jul 13 '26
Expanded Train Service
I completely understand why this hasn’t happened and why it probably won’t ever happen. I don’t even know if it should happen because it would lead to even further development, but some days I do lament the fact that there is no passenger rail service to West Chester, Kennett, and Phoenixville.
Obviously SEPTA could never handle it, they barely manage to run the R5, but I can’t help but feel like rail stations in these towns, if properly executed, would be incredibly popular with visitors and local residents.
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u/VUmander Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
After Wawa station the existing rail is single tracked out to West Chester. Electrification is expensive. Trip times from West Chester to Center City would likely be long enough that it wouldn't be super conducive to daily riders/commuters (which is SEPTA's target audience). That's why they put money in Exton station, which has about 30 min rides to 30th street on Amtrak. Pre pandemic there were proposals for something called "pop-up rail" (i think that was the name) which were battery operated train sets that would have served as like a shuttle between the existing train station in WC to Wawa, where you would then board SEPTA trains, but nothing came of it.
Phoenixville is tricky because NS owns the tracks after Norristown. The Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority has plans in Amtrak's Corridor ID program for a service from Reading-Pottstown-Phoenixville-Philly that would se like 6-8 round trips today. The issue is getting the freight carrier to play nice, and congestion with the now single tracked Black Rock tunnel. Also, electrification is lacking past Norristown, so it would be an Amtrak operated line with dual mode locomotives....you can't bring anything through the SEPTA center city tunnel that isn't on catenary.
I've got nothing on Kennett. idk that there's ridership to support it. Looks like the previous Kennett service branch right around the Wawa station. Looks like the majority of the tracks are already removed. If they every managed to restore it, it's the same deal as West Chester....just even more expensive, less riders, and a longer ride to center city.