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Coatesville 2nd Century Alliance
TRACTION - A progress report on the revitalization of the City of Coatesville
For the past ten or so years, a large group of individuals and entities, both public and private stakeholders, have been working diligently to construct a new commuter train station and related amenities in the City of Coatesville. Earlier this summer a significant milestone in these efforts was achieved. On July 13, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced the opening of the bidding process for the construction project.
From the announcement: “PennDOT intends to begin construction in late fall 2021 with completion anticipated in 2025. This project is financed from the Federal Transit Administration and state transportation funds.”
The following commentary explains the importance of the train station project to the City of Coatesville and surrounding area. It was written by ECON partners, inc. on behalf of the City and Coatesville Redevelopment Authority, and willing contributor to the Western Chester County Chamber of Commerce.
Coatesville is the only incorporated city in Chester County. It benefits from its strategic geographic location as the primary urban center for the western part of the county and is surrounded by more than 160,000 people within a ten-mile radius.
While roadway connectivity is, generally, good through this part of the county, only Coatesville enjoys direct mass transit connectivity. Coatesville is served by Amtrak’s Keystone Corridor line with service between Harrisburg and Philadelphia, a federally designated high-speed rail corridor.
Final and full design of the new station was completed in June 2021, and PennDOT recently received all Amtrak approvals and commitment of resources, with a construction bid advertisement released in mid-July 2021, a contract award in August 2021, a construction start by the early fall of 2021, and a 2025 completion date. The project is an approximately $21,000,000 investment to provide ADA accessibility and improve station function and amenities, while supporting stationarea revitalization. The project will bring Coatesville’s station up to Amtrak and ADA standards, make crossing the platforms more convenient, and improve safety in the area surrounding the station.
Additional access improvements include a stair/elevator tower, ADA ramp, and pedestrian crosswalks. These enhancements will attract more riders, having a positive impact on rail transportation in the area.
In March 2019, city and county officials announced an agreement with SEPTA to bring back regional rail service to the city. The new service will extend SEPTA train operations beyond the current terminus in Thorndale to the new station in Coatesville. For the first time since 1996, residents of greater Coatesville will have commuter rail services to Philadelphia and other job centers in the surrounding suburbs. SEPTA currently estimates that the new Coatesville station will initially have between 350 and 430 boardings per day.
The new train station and adjacent commuter multimodal parking facility will serve Coatesville residents and the western Chester County region by giving residents greater access to jobs, economic opportunities, and travel outside the City, while providing reliable transportation for commuters and visitors coming into the city.
Additionally, they will reduce traffic congestion on Route 30, and encourage more people to visit Coatesville and patronize its businesses. The station and nearby parking garage will also provide the City with more leverage to attract commercial developers and promote transit-oriented redevelopment of surrounding brownfields and underutilized parcels.
The overall vision for the station includes planned complementary TOD improvements to the surrounding area, such as rehabilitation of the existing station for a new use and the redevelopment of two parcels owned by the Coatesville RDA immediately adjacent to the proposed parking garage.
