DV Journal

Pennsylvania is pressing ahead with plans to bring passenger train service from Reading to Philadelphia, but one national transportation expert calls it “absolutely a boondoggle.”

Tom Frawley, executive director of the Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority (SRPRA), remains optimistic about the plan, which is part of a partnership with Amtrak.

“We’re very fortunate. We have an excellent starting point,” Frawley recently told Montgomery County commissioners. “We’re starting with a double-track, high-quality railroad, essentially conditions where we could operate a passenger train at 80 mph today.”

Some additional track and signal work will be needed, he said. The system has federally required positive train control (PTC), and [freight carrier] Norfolk Southern “is a willing partner.”

“That’s not always the case, so we’re very fortunate in that regard,” said Frawley.

Also, he said there are existing train stations in Reading, Pottstown, and Phoenixville that the new train service could use. He said that local communities would have the “primary responsibility” for the station buildings and parking lots.

The federal Corridor Identification and Development Program  (CIDP) is a three-step program, with the first step scoping, he said. The federal government granted SRPRA up to $500,000 for that phase. The second step is preparing a service development plan that needs a 10 percent match. Step three is preliminary engineering, design, and environmental documentation requiring a 20 percent match.

The existing Norristown Transportation Center could be employed if the route chosen goes through Norristown rather than running on the other side of the Schuylkill River.

Pottstown is using Delaware Valley Regional Planning funds for its station planning, and the historic station in Pottstown “is a candidate for the future station,” he said.

“We’re going to have a lot of focus on environmental justice, under-represented communities,” he said. “People may not realize but Reading, at one point, was the poorest city in the country. Not just the state, but the entire country.” The new rail service has “a lot of opportunity to create a lot of benefit for a lot of people,” he said.

The next two steps are expected to cost $10 or 12 million, he said. Some $250,000 from the state’s casino fund has been transferred. And Congress mandated a $750,000 grant to Berks County that is to be used for final design and/or construction. Berks, Chester, and Montgomery counties have invested $100,000 in the project, too.

They also expect to get additional state and federal funding, he said.

DVJournal asked Frawley what the total estimated cost for the entire project is. He said it has yet to be determined.

“The capital cost will be developed in Step 2 of the Corridor Identification and Development Program, which will begin early in the New Year,” said Frawley.

“There’s a great deal that’s been accomplished,” he said. “We’re wrapping up Step One and about to get into Step Two.”

The three counties will need to reaffirm their support for the project by June, he said. Depending on the corridor alignment selected, The authority will also formalize its relationships with the “host railroads,” Norfolk Southern, and either CSX or SEPTA. The authority will also formalize its relationship with Amtrak.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Amtrak has never made a profit since Congress nationalized the railroads in 1970. The troubled rail system’s ridership plunged during the Covid pandemic. The good news is that 2024 ridership returned to pre-Covid levels, reaching a record high of 32.8 million customer trips.

The bad news is that even with the increased ridership, Amtrak reported a fiscal 2024 operating loss of $705 million.

One concern about the Reading line’s viability is the fact that SEPTA–which provides commuter rail, bus and subway service to a more populous area and with an established base of riders–continues to struggle. Recently, Gov. Josh Shapiro announced an infusion of $153 million in state highway money to SEPTA. Philadelphia, Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, and Delaware counties pledged $22.95 million in additional funding.

Asked about the SRPRA Amtrak project, economist and Independence Institute transportation expert Randal O’Toole called it “absolutely a boondoggle.”

“Buses make far more sense than conventional trains for moving people,” said O’Toole. Philadelphia-Reading is part of Amtrak’s ‘Connects Us’ plan, which was “issued just before Congress gave it billions of dollars for expansions.”

O’Toole “reviewed all of the proposed new services and found that almost all of them were already served by bus lines that were usually faster and charged lower fares than Amtrak would charge. The exception was Philadelphia-Reading, and that was because Pennsylvania regulators have prevented private bus companies from serving this route.

“While Northeast Corridor ridership has recovered from the pandemic, state-subsidized ridership has not. But Amtrak needs to convince states to subsidize operating losses to justify spending the money Congress has given it for the necessary capital improvements to run more trains,” said O’Toole. “Both federal and state taxpayers lose when it succeeds.

“Nor do passenger trains contribute anything to economic development. Consider this: the average American travels 15,000 miles a year by automobile, 2,300 miles a year by plane, several hundred miles a year by non-transit buses, around 100 miles a year by mass transit, 100 miles on foot, and 30 miles by bicycle, but only 19 miles a year by Amtrak. How is increasing that 19 to, say, 20 or 21 miles going to attract economic development? Development goes where the people are, and people are near highways and airports, not railroad tracks.

“The real question is why do we use passenger trains, which are expensive and inflexible, to do things that buses can do for less money and with greater flexibility?” O’Toole asked. “The answer is a combination of nostalgia and pork barrel. If Pennsylvania wants to promote mobility between Reading and Philadelphia, it should get out of the way of private bus companies that are eager to enter that market without any subsidies.” Currently, Amtrak provides bus service for that route.

Nevertheless, the Montgomery County commissioners remain on board.

“It sounds like a complicated but exciting project,” said Montco Chair Jamila Winder. “I look forward to seeing the plans come to fruition.”

Commissioner Tom DiBello, Montgomery County’s representative on the SRPRA board, asked how many other Amtrak corridor program applications “are out there?”

Frawley said there were more than 100 initially. Of those, 69 were accepted. Only two are in Step Two.

“We are anticipating that we will be among the very first nationally to enter Step Two…I think we’ll be among the first to proceed to implementation.”

DiBello added, “We are actually moving at a very rapid pace. We could be one of the leaders nationally in this corridor program.” DiBello, is Montgomery County’s representative on the SRPRA board.

In April 2023, tragedy struck on the train tracks in Chester.

Two children, ages 9 and 12, were playing on the tracks when they were killed by an Amtrak train heading south to Washington, D.C.

The families of the deceased children, Ah’Yir Womack and Jahaad Atkinson, then filed suit against Amtrak, saying it was responsible for not maintaining a fence. Lawyer Emeka Igwe said the lawsuit is ongoing.

On Monday, the City of Chester announced it would receive part of $125 million in grants nationwide from the Federal Railroad Administration after Amtrak selected it.

Amtrak will allocate up to $7.7 million of funds from the FRA’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements grant program to Chester, which will go toward installing high-security steel fencing along a segment of the Northeast Corridor (NEC) running through the city. With the new fencing, the city hopes to reduce unauthorized access along the NEC and increase safety for those using the transit system.

Chester’s high-security fence project is one of six projects from around the country selected for Amtrak’s grants provided by the FRA.

“The City of Chester is grateful to Amtrak and the FRA for this grant because it is one more step in making our city even safer and more secure for all traveling to and from here,” said Mayor Stefan Roots. “The funding arrives at a pivotal time, as we are working on reestablishing Chester as a top destination and place to live in the region and country. We can’t get there without the help of our partners like Amtrak.”

About the grant for the fence, Igwe said, “We’re happy. This is something we asked Amtrak to do to prevent another tragedy.”

Chester is under the financial control of a state receiver, Michael Doweary. He is tasked with helping the city regain its footing after years of mismanagement left its coffers nearly bare. While previous officials fought with Doweary, Roots is cooperating to set Chester on the path to prosperity.

As the receivership team is implementing a financial recovery plan to bring it out of bankruptcy, Roots and city leaders are spearheading efforts to beautify its neighborhoods and downtown area with the help of local, state and federal funding. They hope to develop affordable housing, improve infrastructure, and attract businesses and investors.

The Amtrak project is also the latest of several public safety measures implemented to make Chester a safer place to live, work and play, officials said. Last summer, the city launched its first Safe Summer initiative, which included a curfew for residents 17 and younger. It also expanded staffing and patrol hours for the Chester Police Department to provide round-the-clock street supervision.

“Strong public and private partnerships are key to Chester’s revitalization. Capital investments such as Amtrak’s make it possible,” said Roots.

Delaware Valley U.S. Reps. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Chester) and Madeleine Dean (D-Montgomery) are celebrating the billions of federal dollars the new bipartisan infrastructure bill will bring to Pennsylvania. And they reject the argument that trillions in new federal spending will add to the nation’s rising inflation problems.

“This [spending] is the answer to that problem,” Houlahan said.

The two Democrats held a press conference with local officials at the Paoli Train station on Saturday to tout the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, now signed into law.

“As a former teacher and engineer, I’m a particularly grade and data-driven person,” said Houlahan. “Pennsylvania now has a grade of C minus for roads and bridges and a grade of D for inlands waterways, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers report card, she said. “And those grades are simply unacceptable. And the data show that must change and we must make changes for safety and for a better way of life.”

The IIJ Act, sometimes referred to as the “bipartisan infrastructure bill,” will provide $11 billion for highways in Pennsylvania; $1.6 billion for bridge replacement and repairs over the next five years; $2.8 for the Amtrak corridor that serves the Delaware Valley region; and $5 billion in grants for rail safety.

“These historic investments will transform our nation and this region so we can better meet the demands of the 21st century with upgraded roads, bridges, modernized transportation, clean drinking water and reliable internet access,” said Dean.  The act includes $18 billion for the commonwealth, she said. There is also $244 million to help low income families with weatherizing their homes and $355 million for airport improvements.

And, Houlahan added, the funding will help area communities “ravaged” by flooding from Hurricane Ida last summer. The act provides money to rebuild, along with mitigation to prevent future flooding.

Polling shows Americans in general and Pennsylvanians in particular are more worried about rising inflation than they are the state of roads and rail. The Consumer Price Index reached a 6.8 percent annual rate in November, the highest since June 1982. Just days before Saturday’s presser, the Producer Price Index numbers were released “showing the biggest annual gain since the series was revamped 11 years ago,” according to Reuters.

Asked about the impact of this spending on inflation, Houlahan denied there was a problem.

“Well, I think this is actually the exact opposite of that concern,” she said. “We have an issue with inflation right now and we need to be attentive to it. But we also have an issue where we need to be creating jobs and opportunity for people. Where we need to be able to provide pathways literal and figuratively to be able to create those jobs and opportunities to be able to expand…This is the answer to that problem.”

Polls show most Americans don’t agree. A new Fox Business poll released last week found 47 percent of Americans believe the Biden administration’s policies are  “hurting” the country’s ability to fight inflation. And 46 percent say the Build Back Better social spending bill Dean and Houlahan helped pass last month will just drive inflation even higher.

DVJournal also asked about the infrastructure bill’s spending on electric vehicles (EVs), whose production is reliant on rare earth metals like lithium and cobalt. China is the dominant processer of these elements and, critics say, would overwhelmingly benefit from spending on green tech like EVs.

Houlahan said that as a former chemistry teacher, “I geek out on the periodic table and I serve on the armed services committee and actually passed a lot of legislation on rare earth elements.”

She called the term “rare earth” a “misnomer,” saying those minerals are everywhere but “China, amongst others, has a pretty big corner on the market on those processes and that mining, because it is also a very dirty process. And this is something understandably that here in the United States, we are more reticent to do. We do have a lot of work that needs to be done on rare earth elements. We need to become less reliant on China.”

Houlahan said she plans a trip to Australia, Japan, and South Korea to investigate how those countries deal with China and are able to “to diversify their reliance on rare earth elements and their reliance on China. That being said, we can’t walk away from the importance of electric vehicles.”

State Secretary of Transportation Yassmin Gramian, who attended the press conference, discussed how the increase in electric vehicles has decreased the state’s revenue from the gasoline taxes that funds road and bridge repairs.

Gramian said the new act provides the largest amount of funds earmarked for transportation since the Eisenhower administration.

“We have unmet needs of $8.1 billion annually in our highway and bridge program,” said Gramian. “And $9.3 billion altogether for all modes of transportation,” Gramian said. “We are so excited to see more electric vehicles on the road, we are so excited to see that the cars are becoming efficient…But that has really, truly impacted the revenue that’s been generated for our transportation system.

“Seventy-eight percent of our revenue for highways and bridges comes from gas taxes and it’s been going down month after month to the tune of $15 to $10 million. Last year around this time, we came very close to shutting down our transportation projects. We were down in our revenue by $600 million. We did not have enough cash to pay for our construction projects and pay our bills. That’s how bad the situation was at PennDOT because we are so much relying on gas taxes.”

Follow us on social media: Twitter: @DV_Journal or Facebook.com/DelawareValleyJournal