EDITORIAL: Exclusion of Pottsville in plans to restore rail service to Schuylkill River corridor a disservice
POTTSVILLE – Until 1981, Schuylkill Countians could hop on the train at Pottsville, Schuylkill Haven, or Auburn and take the train to the City of Brotherly Love, until SEPTA chose to cut the line in spite of fierce opposition from the county and state.
That line also connected Reading, Pottstown, Phoenixville, and Norristown to Philadelphia, and restoration of service to the line is in the works and received a $500,000 federal grant Tuesday.
The problem? There appears to be no intention to fully restore the line.
Efforts are underway to restore the line halfway, from Philadelphia to Reading, hitting Pottstown, Phoenixville, and potentially Norristown in-between.
Those are being undertaken by the Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority, which received a $500,000 grant to study a passenger rail corridor, announced by Senator John Fetterman and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (PA-6).
The funding, the legislators said, puts the project in the pipeline of rail projects ready for implementation
Fetterman, in the announcement, said the project “would go a long way in revitalizing communities in Berks and Montgomery Counties.”
“In my view, the more trains and public transportation options for Pennsylvanians, the better,” Fetterman said.
Though, the exclusion of Pottsville and Schuylkill County from the restoration of a line that once terminated here comes not long after PennDOT quietly disconnected Shenandoah and several other communities here from the state’s intercity bus system, leaving residents with even fewer public transit options.
There is no longer a reasonable way for a Shenandoah resident to get to Philadelphia by exclusively using public transportation, though restored rail service would change that.
Union Station in Pottsville, the end point for the Schuylkill Transportation System’s Shenandoah route, was built as an intermodal station with rail service in mind.
Otherwise, the only bus service to Philly nearby is from Hazleton, which takes several hours via three buses from two transit systems to get to from Shenandoah.
Supporters say the rail service will be a boon to the communities it will serve, and the current effort is at least the third since SEPTA cut the rail service in 1981 — and the second to leave out Schuylkill County.
The original discontinuation came despite massive public outcry and opposition by the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission, according to newspaper accounts at the time.
Almost immediately after the discontinuation, the Schuylkill County Rail Transit Authority was established but, after several years of trying, failed to restore service.
In the early 2000s, a new line, the Schuylkill Valley Metro, was explored which would have gone from Philadelphia to Reading, with a spur to King of Prussia, spearheaded by SEPTA. That failed, too.
While it remains to be seen if this effort will succeed and if the communities will reap any rewards, unless those leading the charge decide to fully restore the line, Schuylkill County won’t see any of those rewards.
About Author
