Rail service between Reading and Philadelphia could be restored after counties vote to create Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority

Commissioners in three Pennsylvania counties have voted to authorize the creation of the Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority to oversee and implement the restoration of passenger rail service between Reading and Philadelphia.

The commissioners in Berks and Montgomery Counties voted last week to authorize the creation of the authority, and the commissioners in Chester County voted Wednesday. The votes were held after each county conducted a public hearing to consider the creation of the authority.

“The creation of the authority is not a guarantee that passenger rail will return, but it is a crucial next step to continue the long process of research and planning,” leaders in Berks County said in a news release.

The authority will be supported with equal representation and funding from all three counties, starting with a $100,000 investment from each. The authority will have the power to formalize agreements, pursue funding opportunities, and partner with rail operators and state and federal transportation agencies.

Passenger rail service operated from Philadelphia to Reading from the mid-1800s through the early 1980s. It was suspended in 1981 during SEPTA’s transition to an all-electric network, according to the state Department of Transportation..

PennDot said numerous studies assessed the feasibility of reintroducing passenger rail service to Reading on the historic corridor. Berks County leaders said they are optimistic that this effort will be successful because of potential funding available through the federal bipartisan infrastructure bill.

The authority will be reevaluated and put up for reauthorization by all three counties in three years. The authority was formed after the Tri-County Passenger Rail Committee spent a year exploring the restoration of passenger rail service to the region.

“The members of the committee are confident that passenger rail service in places like Reading, Pottstown and Phoenixville could potentially generate more than $1 billion in new property development and existing property value increases, which translates to thousands of jobs and the expansion of local and federal tax bases over the next 30 years,” officials in Berks County said.

“Further, passenger rail service would provide transportation and job opportunities to underserved minority communities and immediately impact some of the largest clusters of low- and moderate-income households in the suburbs of Southeastern Pennsylvania,” the officials said.

The authority will consist of nine members, with three people appointed from each county.

The inaugural members approved for the authority are 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; and David Zellers, director of the Montgomery County Commerce Department.