Edited:
Jun. 15— — At Tuesday’s work session meeting, West Chester’s Borough Council gave informal approval for the Committee to Reestablish Rail Service to West Chester to continue developing a plan to connect the borough with Philadelphia via commuter rail. SEPTA rail service ended in the 1980s, in part, due to a lack of ridership. The committee and some residents wish to reestablish rail service to Wawa, with the SEPTA connection there to Philadelphia.
The committee’s plan for West Chester Metro was presented to council by Tom Hickey. To reduce costs from $379.8 million (what one SEPTA official said more than $500 million, battery powered shuttle trains, with a resulgting initial capital expense of $16.4 million, not including operational or train-rental costs. 38 trips each weekday between West Chester and Wawa, 5AM – midnight, would use the existing SEPTA right of way. The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission forecast 1,910 weekday riders for direct-Philadelphia service and 1,350 for shuttle service to Wawa.
The committee provided a fact sheet stating that the lower cost would be achieved by using recycled rail, avoiding electrification by using battery-powered, zero emission trains, deferring signalization, and minimizing station costs with permeable, stabilized gravel parking lots. Operating costs would depend on who runs the trains. Possible operators are SEPTA Regional Rail, SEPTA Suburban Transit, Transportation Management Association of Chester County and tourist-train operat