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West Chester station (West Chester Railroad)

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Coordinates: 39°57′39″N 75°36′01″W / 39.9609°N 75.6004°W / 39.9609; -75.6004
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West Chester
West Chester Railroad tourist train station
West Chester station in 2018
General information
Location230 East Market Street
West Chester, Pennsylvania
Coordinates39°57′39″N 75°36′01″W / 39.9609°N 75.6004°W / 39.9609; -75.6004
Owned byWest Chester Railroad
Line(s)West Chester Line
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks1
History
Opened1875, 1997 (as heritage railway)
ClosedSeptember 19, 1986[1]
Rebuilt1885
ElectrifiedDecember 2, 1928[2]
Previous namesMarket Street
Services
Preceding station West Chester Railroad Following station
Terminus Main Line Westtown
toward Glen Mills
Former services
Preceding station SEPTA Following station
Terminus West Chester Line West Chester University
toward Suburban Station
Preceding station Pennsylvania Railroad Following station
Terminus West Chester Line Oakbourne
toward Suburban Station
Maple Avenue
toward Frazer
 Frazer – West Chester Terminus
Location
Map

The West Chester station, formerly the Market Street Station, is an American train station that is located on Market Street in West Chester, Pennsylvania. It currently serves as a stop on the West Chester Railroad heritage railroad. The location was previously used as a stop on the Pennsylvania Railroad's (PRR) West Chester Branch, and later became a part of SEPTA's R3 West Chester Line.

SEPTA discontinued regular passenger service here in September 1986, due to deteriorating track conditions, Chester County's desire to expand facilities at Exton station on SEPTA's Paoli/Thorndale Line, and the existence of faster and more frequent bus service on SEPTA Route 104 along West Chester Pike to 69th Street Terminal.

Heritage service was restored in 1997 by the West Chester Railroad, a privately owned and operated tourist railroad that operates between Glen Mills and West Chester.

Station history

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East Market Street Station in West Chester circa 1930

The West Chester & Philadelphia Railroad opened Market Street station in 1875.[3] It was rebuilt following a major fire in 1885.[4] Demolition of the main station building occurred in 1968.[3]

SEPTA later used the stop for the R3 West Chester Line. In 1986, SEPTA discontinued service due to deteriorating track conditions, the expansion of Exton station, and the improvement of bus service on SEPTA Route 104. The frame building erected in place of the older station was closed and razed.[5]

In 1997, the West Chester Railroad (WCRR) constructed a new station for its heritage line running to Glen Mills. Except for the concrete platform, nothing remains of the former station; however, the foundation outline from the former building is visible. WCRR erected a one-room station on site that serves as a ticket office and gift shop.

Service restoration efforts

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In 2014, the Chester County Planning Commission's long-term public transportation plan envisioned the return of SEPTA service to West Chester.[6] In 2018 a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation report estimated rebuilding to cost $380M USD. In July 2022 the West Chester Borough Council formed a Rail Service Restoration Committee to explore the use of battery-operated rail cars as a lower cost alternative to a full rebuilding of an electrified line.[7]

References

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  1. ^ "The Potential of Rail Service to West Chester Borough". Borough of West Chester. p. 24. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  2. ^ "Electric Trains to Start Sunday". The Chester Times. November 30, 1928. p. 1. Retrieved August 21, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ a b U.S. National Park Service. Historic American Buildings Survey (1979). "Pennsylvania Railroad Station, Market Street, West Chester Borough, Chester, PA." Survey No. HABS PA-246.
  4. ^ Jones, Ph.D. Jim A."Walking Tour of West Chester's Railroad Corridor." Accessed 2011-02-23.
  5. ^ Jones, Ph.D., Jim A. (2006). Railroads of West Chester: 1831 to the Present. West Chester, Pennsylvania: Taggart Printing. pp. 77–78.
  6. ^ "Chester County Public Transportation Plan - Draft April 2014"
  7. ^ Cooper, Kenny (26 July 2022). "West Chester Borough Council supports effort to restore SEPTA passenger rail service". WHYY.org. Retrieved 21 August 2022.

Further reading

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