Pottstown Mercury
April 17, 2000
Electrified 'Metrorail' front-runner in rail project
By CARL HESSLER JR.
Mercury Staff WriterNORRISTOWN — Area transportation officials have endorsed a $1.4 billion commuter rail system, known as “Metrorail,” that could link Reading and Philadelphia by the year 2007.
“It will allow us to have a commuter rail system that will work with the frequency that a lot of people would expect of a subway system,” said Richard Maloney, director of public affairs for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA).
SEPTA officials, who are working with the Berks Area Reading Transportation Authority (BARTA) to develop the 62-mile passenger rail service, said the Metrorail option would include electrified train cars that would depart every 15 minutes during peak hours and serve about 49,800 riders every weekday. The cars would carry about 100 passengers.
Metrorail would also offer high-level platforms to allow for easy boarding and wheelchair access. A trip from Reading to 30th Street Station in Philadelphia would take about 83 minutes.
“The real key to the success of this system is the frequency of service,” Maloney said. “The stations along this line would be retrofitted or built from the bottom up to allow high-level entry and that cuts down on the time to get on and off a train.”
Six transportation alternatives have been considered by SEPTA and BARTA for the development of the rail line. Of the six alternatives selected for study, two involved the use of commuter rail while two other options involved the use of a light rail system. Another option involved no rail line, but a mix of bus service as an improvement along the Route 422 corridor.
Commuter rail utilizes a heavier vehicle and is built to withstand crashes with freight trains. Commuter trains can operate in a mixed environment of freight and passenger service, in other words, can share tracks with freight trains.
Light rail utilizes lighter vehicles and accelerate faster because they are lighter. However, light rail cars must have their own track if they operate in a mixed travel environment.
While the 17-member SEPTA Board won’t officially select an option for about two months, during three public open house presentations last week in King of Prussia, Reading and Philadelphia, it was obvious that consensus is growing for the “Metrorail,” a commuter rail option that will cost $1.4 billion to build and $43 million a year to operate.
SEPTA officials and project consultants were on hand during the open house to take public comment in preparation for SEPTA’s ultimate vote on a locally preferred option and technology.
In touting Metrorail, officials said it would have the highest ridership, the highest ridership per invested dollar and frequent service.
While specific stations won’t be selected for another year or two, 25 stops have been proposed in Phoenixville, Royersford, Pottstown, Douglassville, Exeter Township, Reading and Wyomissing.
“The number of stations may change. That will be negotiated with the different municipalities and depend on how much money is available,” said Dave Fogel, a project consultant from Urban Engineers Inc.
Officials said federal funding is expected to support between 80 and 90 percent of the project’s costs.
Donald Nigro, of the Delaware Valley Association of Rail Passengers (DVARP), supports the Metrorail concept and is glad that SEPTA is headed in that direction. The DVARP had been concerned that SEPTA and BARTA would support a light rail option. Nigro said a light rail solution would be a mistake and would require regulatory waivers because light rail can’t share tracks with freight trains.
“Common sense prevailed. We favor commuter rail and that’s what Metrorail is,” Nigro said recently. “With commuter rail, it will give taxpayers the best bang for the buck.”
Nigro claimed commuter rail can provide traffic relief sooner to Route 422 and I-76. He said a 45-minute commuter rail extension to Reading and Wyomissing can be built much more quickly and in one stage. The DVARP, a non-profit passenger advocacy group, argued that a light rail segment from King of Prussia to Wyomissing would be delayed for many years and much of it would likely never be built.
“We think it’s crucial that this project, in the first phase of construction, goes all the way to Phoenixville, Pottstown and Reading. We don’t want to see them left out,” Nigro said. “We’re concerned that a first stage will be built to King of Prussia and that nothing else will be built.”
Nigro vowed to put pressure on SEPTA to implement service to Pottstown and Reading in the first stage of development.
If the SEPTA Board approves the Metrorail option, officials will have to devise a funding strategy and complete a draft environmental impact study (DEIS), which is required for projects that receive federal funds. The DEIS will evaluate the project’s impact on natural resources, historical and archaeological resources and communities along the corridor.
Officials of SEPTA and BARTA must also iron out some problems with Norfolk Southern Railway Corp., which owns most of the track and right-of-way in the proposed metro’s corridor. The Metrorail option could involve building some new tracks and sharing existing Norfolk Southern tracks and right-of-ways.
Norfolk Southern is concerned that using the tracks for passenger rail will hinder its freight operations.
Rudy Husband, director of public relations for Norfolk Southern, said the use of a light rail vehicle was unlikely because of the federal Railroad Administration’s ruling prohibiting mixing of light rail and freight rail.
Freight officials are against light rail options because of the potential for accidents between adjacent passenger cars and freight trains.
“And that corridor is too busy for us to implement some type of time separation. So, a heavy commuter-type vehicle, which is what (SEPTA) has selected, was really the only alternative in our minds,” Husband said.
Maloney believes Norfolk Southern is pleased that SEPTA has selected the Metrorail alternative.
“This alternative is compatible with their freight system,” Maloney maintained.
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