West Chester (West Chester Railroad station)
- Not to be confused with the West Chester Transportation Center
WEST CHESTER | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| West Chester Railroad tourist train station | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Current West Chester station, 2013 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | 230 E. Market Street (Pennsylvania Route 3), West Chester, Pennsylvania | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 39°57′39″N 75°36′01″W / 39.9609°N 75.6004°WCoordinates: 39°57′39″N 75°36′01″W / 39.9609°N 75.6004°W | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owned by | West Chester Railroad | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line(s) | Pennsylvania Railroad, SEPTA R3 West Chester Line | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 1 side platform | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1875, 1997 (as heritage railway) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Closed | 1986 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rebuilt | 1885 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Electrified | 1928 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Previous names | Market Street | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Services | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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West Chester is a West Chester Railroad train station located on Market Street in West Chester, Pennsylvania. The station was a stop on the Pennsylvania Railroad's (PRR) West Chester Branch line. It later became a part of SEPTA's R3 West Chester line.
SEPTA discontinued regular passenger service 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's Route 104 along West Chester Pike to 69th Street Terminal. Service was restored by the West Chester Railroad in 1997, a privately owned and operated tourist railroad that operates between Glen Mills and West Chester.
Station history
Market Street Station was opened in 1875[1] by the West Chester & Philadelphia Railroad. It was rebuilt following a major fire in 1885.[2] The main building was razed in 1968.[1] The frame building erected in its place was closed and razed in 1986.[3]
Except for the concrete platform, nothing remains of the former station; however, the foundation outline from the former building is visible. The West Chester Railroad erected a small one-room station on site that serves as a ticket office and gift shop.
Service restoration
In 2014, the Chester County Planning Commission's long-term public transportation plan envisioned the return of SEPTA service to West Chester. The vision calls for extending SEPTA's Media/Elwyn line to its former terminus at the West Chester Station by 2040.[4]
References
- 1 2 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.
- ↑ Jones, Ph.D. Jim A."Walking Tour of West Chester's Railroad Corridor." Accessed 2011-02-23.
- ↑ Jones, Ph.D., Jim A. (2006). Railroads of West Chester: 1831 to the Present. West Chester, Pennsylvania: Taggart Printing. pp. 77–78.
- ↑ "Chester County Public Transportation Plan - Draft April 2014"
External links
- West Chester Railroad - official site
