“With federal funding stalled, the Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority will use state grants to move forward the effort to restore rail service from Reading to Philadelphia.
The project — which has brought together officials from Berks, Montgomery and Chester counties — began in 2022 with the formation of the authority. It aims to create passenger rail service with stops in Reading, Pottstown and Phoenixville.
The effort has been included in the federal Corridor Identification and Development Program, which offers funding and other support.
With its acceptance into the program, the authority received $500,000 to complete the first phase that included developing the scope and costs of a service plan that will examine ridership and revenue forecasts, capital programming and an operational analysis.
Having completed the first phase in September 2024, the authority is now waiting for the green light from the federal government to begin the second phase.
On Monday, the authority decided to get a jumpstart on that second phase with alternative funding while it waits.
The authority board voted unanimously to begin work with Amtrak to advance operation simulations in coordination with Norfolk Southern and SEPTA, which will shed light on where infrastructure improvements are needed and what those upgrades might cost.
To cover the cost of this work, the board agreed to use two state grants totaling $654,000 that the authority has received over the past several years.
Chester County Commissioner Marian Moskowitz, who serves as authority chairwoman, said the decision to move forward stemmed from a meeting board members had with Amtrak officials this month.
“It was a very productive conversation and the entire goal of the discussion was to see if we could move this project forward sooner,” she said. “This was a very encouraging sign and shows how important this line is to Amtrak.”
The decision to work with Amtrak builds on an agreement it struck with the company this summer to formalize their relationship.
The memorandum of understanding with Amtrak allows the authority to use their existing tracks for service, increases the possibility for more federal funding in the future, and affirms the intention to have the company serve as the operator. It also confirmed Amtrak’s commitment to complete a list of requirements at no cost to the authority mandated by the federal program.
Tom Frawley, authority executive director, clarified that moving forward on the second phase of the project will not jeopardize its inclusion in the federal program.
“In fact, the Federal Railroad Administration is supportive of our activities and meets with us monthly,” he said. “This is sort of the next big leap in the process.”
Frawley said the authority has already gathered some preliminary material on where investments need to be on the line but operation simulations must be performed to verify capacity and identify improvements that are necessary.”
– Karen Shuey, Reading Eagle, Pa.
Read the full Yahoo article here: Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority takes next step
